Andy Jackson: Child of Land & Sea

Heart & Curse

Act V — Walking On Water

Part VII — There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. If we stick together we can see it through.

Andy grabbed Kayla Knowles, from the Apollo cabin, and told the rest of her siblings to keep searching for Michael Yew. The other campers had chosen the Plaza Hotel as headquarters. In another situation, Andy might've been impressed. But tonight she didn't much feel like Eloise.

Fear—cold and heavy—crept into her making every step she took seem to hurt. It was fear like she had never experienced before. She had to stop a bunch of times just to breathe. She couldn't fall apart. They needed her... He needed...

"Andy!" Jake Mason called. "We're getting reports saying—"

"Where's Tony?"

"The terrace. He's alive, but—"

Andy pushed him aside and headed up the elevator. The view up there was amazing. The morning was clear and bright. Anthony was lying on a lounge chair, shirtless, as if trying to get a tan. But his face was pale and beaded with sweat. He was shivering. Silena was wiping his forehead with a cool cloth.

The crowd of Athena kids stood aside to let Andy pass. But when she saw the wound, deep and bloody, she froze. Her legs didn't respond. A tiny voice in the back of her head kept saying: how did you let this happen?

Kayla came forward to examine him. "It's not so bad," she announced. "A few more minutes and we would've been in trouble. But I can fix this. Somebody hand me some nectar." She cleaned out the wound with the godly drink. Andy watched everything from where she was.

Anthony moaned and flinched. Kayla put some silver paste over the wound and hummed words in Ancient Greek—a hymn to Apollo. Then she forced Anthony to sit up and applied fresh bandages around his stomach.

When finished, Kayla stood up shakily; the healing had taken a lot of her energy. "That should do it," she said. "But we're going to need some mortal supplies." She went around asking some of the Athena guys to go find the things she needed. "Get as much as you can carry. There's a lot of people to treat. Everyone seems to be wounded. Well... Except you, Andy."

Everyone only then noticed her.

"We'll talk later," Jake Mason said. "But it's under control. I'm using the video shield to keep an eye on things. The enemy withdrew at sunrise; not sure why. We've got a lookout at each bridge and tunnel." Then he turned to the others. "Let's give 'em some space, shall we?" Everyone followed him out, except Silena, and he closed the terrace doors.

"Are you going to just stand there?" Anthony asked. Although he was in pain, he seemed to be in a bright mood.

"I think I'm stuck," she admitted.

"This is all my fault," Silena muttered.

Andy glanced at her suspiciously. "How is it your fault?"

Silena seemed distressed. "I've... I've never been good at camp," she shrugged. "Not like you Andy. If I was a better fighter..." her mouth trembled.

"You're a great camper," Andy told her. "Best pegasus rider we have. And... well, you're not like me, you're right. You get along with people. You... Anyone who can make friends with Clarisse obviously has talent."

Silena stared at her like Andy'd just given her an idea. "That's it! We need the Ares cabin. I can talk to Clarisse. I know I can convince her to help."