Book Cult (New and Improved)

Piper X

"Piper X," Hestia read.

The Whole Campfire Idea Freaked Piper it made her think of that huge purple bonfire in the dreams and her father tied to a stake.

When she got instead was almost as terrifying:

Aphrodite stiffened.

a sing-along.

"Oh!" she said laughing along with the others.

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with a sing-along! It helps bring people together!" Apollo pouted.

"Not when you sing it every twenty minutes." Artemis said, rolling her eyes.

...Piper spotted Jason in the front next to Annabeth. Leo was nearby, sitting with a bunch of burly-looking campers under a steel gray banner emblazoned with a hammer.

Standing in front of the fire, half a dozen campers with guitars and strange, old fashioned harps- lyres?- were jumping around, leading a song about pieces of armor, something about how their grandma got dressed for war.

"Sounds like Apollo is writing camp songs again." Artemis groaned.

Apollo dramatically put his hand over his chest. "That one's a classic! Everyone loves that song!"

"It's a catchy song, a lot of people request it." Will admitted.

Apollo smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at his sister, who remained unimpressed.

Everybody was singing with them and making gestures for the pieces of armor and joking around...As the energy level got higher, the flames did too, turning from red to orange to gold.

Hestia smiled at this. It was always nice to see her family relax and enjoy each other's company.

Finally the song ended with a lot of rowdy applause. A guy on a horse trotted...Then she realized it was a centaur- his bottom half was a white stallion, his top half a middle-aged guy with curly hair and a trimmed beard.

Leo took out a screwdriver and spun it on its side.

..."What about capture the flag?" somebody yelled. Grumbling broke out among some kids in armor, sitting under a red banner with the emblem of a boar's head.

"Seriously? Did they forget that there is a dangerous dragon rampaging through the woods?" Percy rolled his eyes.

"Not dangerous." Leo added, spinning the screwdriver faster. 

"Yes," the centaur said. "I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games."

"And kill people!" one of them shouted.

"Brilliant." Athena said sarcastically while Ares beamed with pride.

There's not even killing allowed in the game. Percy thought with a sigh.

"However," Chiron said, "until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?"

He turned to Leo's group. Leo winked at Piper and shot her with a finger gun.

Thalia rolled her eyes.

The girl next to him stood uncomfortably. She wore an army jacket a lot like Leo's, with her hair covered in a red bandanna.

Nyssa grimaced when she realized that she had to tell the bad news.

Of course it has to be me... she thought.