Twisted Detonator

a sullen campfire and an escape

Disclaimer:

I do not own Percy Jackson or many of the characters in this story. I do however take credit for Kal.

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...

The air seemed thick and heavy, yet it was dry and crisp as I inhaled it. The moon barely shone in the sky, a small sliver of glowing light from the waxing object, casting a dim eerie glow over camp half blood, leaving shadows larger and scarier than usual.

The main source of light was the burning bonfire, the centre of a group of huddled demigods, clasping cups and chattering amongst themselves. That chatter was low tonight, everyone's voice seemed to have dropped an octave. The usual jittery demigods held gloomy expressions and sullen eyes. It was the dullest group of ADHD sufferers i'd ever seen. Camp wasn't the same now, not for me anyway. Not anymore.

All of a sudden the sound of hooves echoed through the campfire and chattering halted completely.

I took a deep shaky breath and turned to face the half man half horse, Chiron.

My fingers curled into a tight fist at my side as my nails dug into my palm, almost drawing blood. All eyes were on him as he cleared his throat, an unnecessary action seeing as he already had everyone's attention and all of camp was silent, minus the underlining hum of insects.

One of his front hooves dug into the dirt as his voice boomed over the camp, making me flinch. "As most of you are aware by now, a couple of nights ago a group of demigods left camp half blood. You may also have heard that they left behind a shrine of Kronos." He spoke with power, scanning the crowd of demigods before him, making me absentmindedly sink further towards the back of the crowed even though I was already at the edge.

I heard gasps from a few people around the camp fire, most of them out of fear.

"Despite the tragic loss of Gabriel, son of Apollo, Asslyn, daughter of Dionysus and Elisabeth, daughter of Khione" He spoke again.

Loss? It wasn't like they died, they just left.

"Camp shall continue as per usual and I assure you Kronos shall not rise. We shall get our demigods back" He concluded before flicking his tail and walking away.

Some people seemed comforted, others even more scared than before. I saw Rowan and Dy speaking by the camp fire. Rowan was a daughter of Aphrodite while Dy was a daughter of Poseidon. Dy, short for Dynemia seemed particularly unstable. It was expected. She and Gabriel, or Gabe as everyone called him, had been a couple.

Her usual tan skin seemed pale and thin, her bright blonde hair was messily tied up in a pony tail and her eyes were bloodshot and empty, surrounded by dark blackish purple circles.

She nodded half heartedly as Rowan tried to reassure her that everything would be okay. Rowans smile lacked its usual sparkle, yet she looked perfect as usual. You could tell she was also effected but refused to let it show. She was strong for an Aphrodite kid.

I saw a brunette walk determinedly towards retreating Chiron, followed by an identical head of hair and rolled my eyes. That would be Savannah, daughter of Athena and her twin, Alison. I caught a glimpse of Savannah's eyes and noticed they had their usual determined glint.

I guess she was excited she would finally get a chance to fight, no doubt she was going to talk to Chiron to convince him to let her go on a quest after the missing demigods.

I tore my gaze from them and scanned the campfire once more, I saw my best friend, Wendy, sitting with a bunch of her siblings. They were loud, to be expected from Ares kids. She and her sister Aella seemed absorbed in a conversation, seemingly ignoring the uneasiness at camp.