Heartworm (Book 2)

Chapter 5

Tantalus reinstated the camp to hold chariot races - the same chariot races that were discontinued about of three deaths and twenty-six mutilations. Many campers weren't too happy with this, but were easily swayed once they found out the cabin's team would have no chores for a month. The first race would be in three days.

I had expected Clarisse to be over-joyed at this. Instead, she stood up, protesting that we still needed to be on guard, patrolling the boarders. Tantalus shrugged off her concerns. I think he was hoping monsters would take over the camp sooner rather than later if it meant getting out of his new punishment.

Tantalus finally brought up Tyson's fate. He had decided against releasing Tyson into the woods and getting camp to hunt him down, but until Tyson proved his worth he would need a place to stay. Tantalus had suggest the Hermes cabin when I stood up.

"The Hermes cabin is always full. Tyson would've be able to fit there." I argued. Travis and Conner sent me a thankful look.

I knew first-hand how crowded the Hermes cabin was. Our father hadn't claimed us right away, last year and Percy and I stayed in the Hermes cabin along with every other unclaimed child.

"Then where do you suggest he stays, girl?" Tantalus sneered at me. I glanced at Percy who was busy glaring at Tantalus.

"Tyson can stay in Cabin Three." I said. Murmurs erupted from all tables. Tantalus cackled. I carried on, "Only me and Percy sleep there. We have plenty of spare room to take Tyson in. Besides, Tyson's our friend. He knows us and I'm sure he would feel more comfortable to stay with us."

"Comfortable?" Tantalus howled with laughter. "You want that beast to be comfortable!" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Tyson is not a beast! He is a cyclops." I looked at Tyson and I argued his case. I smiled. "And he's the best cyclops there is." Tyson grinned, too thinly at me, his eye welling up with tears.

And as I smiled at him a brilliant sea-green light appeared above Tyson's head. Everybody gasped and Tantalus even scooted away from Tyson as the holographic image morphed into a trident.

It was the same sign Percy and I had got the day we got claimed, last summer.

Poseidon had claimed Tyson as his son.

There was a moment of awed silence.

Claiming was a rare event. Some campers waited in vain their whole lives. It wasn't fair, but it was accepted as the way of being a demi-god.

Tantalus began to roar with laughter, accepting the idea of Tyson moving into cabin three. Everybody followed his lead except for Annabeth and few of our other friends.

Tyson didn't seem to notice. He was too mystified, trying to swat at the glowing trident that was already beginning to fade. He was too innocent to understand how much they were making fun of him, how cruel people could be.

I was never more grateful for his ignorance.

"Tyson!" I called as the laughter settled. I smiled kindly at him, taking a seat. "Come join us."

I wasn't going to cast out Tyson for being born as a Cyclops. We were friends and now we were family.

- - - - -

Tyson moved into the cabin that night, giggling to himself every few seconds and saying, "Percy is my brother," and "Cassie is my sister," like he had won the lottery. My heart melted each time. He was so happy finding a family. And I was happy to be apart of that family.

Percy? Not so much. We often got into arguments whenever Tyson wasn't around. He was ashamed to have a monster as a half-brother. I told him he was being ridiculous. It was still Tyson, our friend. The friend we had defended from bullies and in return the same Tyson who had not only saved Percy's life back at school, but saved the entire camp from getting burnt to the ground.

I didn't care if we were no longer the 'cool' kids. We still had our real friends by our side. I introduced Tyson so Lucy. She beamed up at him. We watched as Tyson splashed around in the water, catching up about the past year.

Lucy stayed at camp all year. She didn't get on with her mum and decided a few years back to not go back at the end of one summer. She looked tired though. She'd seemed to have grown up quite a bit over the year too. But, I suppose defending camp made one grow up quickly.

The topic of our conversation led to Luke.

"What do you think you're going to do?" Lucy asked. I sighed, staring past Tyson and out into the sea.

"I don't know." I admitted, feeling at a lost. "Last time I tried to convince Luke, he walked away."

"Do you think there's hope for him?"

I shifted in the sand, my lips pursed. "I... I hope so."

"You love him, don't you?" I glanced at Lucy.

"No." She raised an eyebrow. "I can't love him. He made his choice and I made mine. It's time we lived by it."

- - - - -

Beckendorf helped keep Tyson busy during the day when both me and Percy were busy. Those two got on like a house on fire, tinkering away in the armoury. Beckendorf said he'd have Tyson crafting magical items like a master in no time.

Between lessons and training, I caught up with Annabeth and Silena on separate occasions. Silena was a daughter of Aphrodite and I enjoyed letting her style my hair or try out a new make up look. We could always have a giggle and talk about nonsense. It was nice to relax.

Even though Tantalus had insisted we forget trying to protect camp, some of the campers had quietly kept it up, working out a schedule during our free times. I had the early evening shift and Percy has the next.

Dryads would come and sing to the dying pine tree and satyrs brought their reed pipes and played magical nature songs. In those moments, the pine needles seemed to get fuller. The flowers on the hill bloomed and smelled a little sweeter and the grass got greener. But as soon as the music stopped, the sickness crept back into the air. The whole hill seemed to be infected, dying from the poison that sunk into the tree's roots. The longer I sat beside Thalia's tree, the more heavier my heart felt.

Had Luke done this? Could he have done this to the last thing remaining of Thalia? Surely, he wasn't that far gone already. I fiddled with the necklace my mom had given me when I was a little girl. She'd told me as long as I wore it, I'd find true love. I used to think Luke was my true love. He used to say I was his other half, referencing the Greek's way of explaining soulmates.

I was thirteen and naive.

Now, I was fourteen and my heart still hurt when thinking of him. But, it wasn't because I still loved him. I couldn't love him anymore. Not when we were on opposite sides of a future war.

Still, if I could just... talk to him again. I could help him, but Luke didn't want help.

Soon, they'll toss you aside and I'll be waiting. When you're ready to join, I'll be waiting. Luke's words echoed in my head. They were his last words to me.

Just like every time I had thought of Luke this last year, I was at a lost on where to go from here.

As I listened to the distant sound of the waves crashing down at the beach I managed to drift off.