The Battle of the Labyrinth: Apollo's Daughter

Drakons and War Games

Skyler's POV

We all rushed towards our respective cabins, I was greeted by Lee and Will who jokingly shoved me as we entered the Apollo cabin. As usual, we didn't get first place in inspection but a steady third. I tended to helping Lee teach his archery classes to some of the younger campers. I kept looking over at the forest, Grover was nowhere to be seen, not since the council. Finding the lost god Pan had been his lifelong goal. His father and his uncle had both disappeared following the same dream.

Last winter, Grover had heard a voice in his head: I await you- a voice he was sure belonged to Pan- but apparently, his search had led nowhere. If the council took away his searcher's license now, it would crush him.

I found Percy and an overjoyed Tyson by the canoe lake and obliged the young cyclopse by sitting with them even though it was extremely awkward.

"What's this 'other way'?" Percy asked me. "The thing Clarisse mentioned?"

I picked up a stone and skipped it across the lake. "Something Clarisse scouted out. Annabeth helped her a little this spring. But it would be dangerous. Especially for Grover."

"Goat boy scares me," Tyson murmured.

Percy stared at him. Tyson had faced down fire-breathing bulls and sea monsters and cannibal giants. "Why would you be scared of Grover?"

"Hooves and horns," Tyson muttered nervously. "And goat fur makes my nose itchy."

And that pretty much ended our Grover conversation.

...

I didn't talk to Tyson or Percy much from that time to after dinner, I overheard a small snippet of a conversation they were having on the way into the dining pavilion, the only word that really stuck out was a name.. Nico. My thoughts roamed as I sat with what few Apollo campers were here. Lee Fletcher and Will were talking across the table from me about something but I didn't follow, one of the younger Apollo girls, I wasn't entirely sure what her name was sat next to me, pushing her food around on her table. 

Nico hated us..No one knew where he had gone. Percy, Annabeth, and I had searched during the spring for him with no luck. It's like the son of Hades had dropped off the face of the earth... He didn't want to be found. 

I was jolted from my thoughts as Lee shook my shoulder a bit. He and Will looked at me confused and worried. The other campers were trickling out of the pavilion. I had been zoned out for the whole time, lost in my own mind. 

"Time to head back," Lee said, sneaking a few bread rolls into his jacket pocket with a smile at me. "Don't worry, we wouldn't let you starve." Will chimed in, as I stood and followed them towards the cabins.

...

I wouldn't call the sleep I got that night peaceful. And I definitely wouldn't call my wake-up very kind either. I was rudely awoken by Lee shaking me, Will at his side, both in their armors over their pajamas which looked quite funny, bows slung over their shoulders. "Up sleeping beauty. We've got trouble at the border."

I groaned and looked at the clock on the wall above the large cabin doors. It was three in the morning. The sun wasn't even up yet therefore, neither should I. "What kind of trouble?" I mumbled, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I grumbled a few curses in greek as I fumbled to pull my greek breastplate over my head and tucking my blue plumed helmet under my arm.

I yawned a few times as we trudged up Half-Blood Hill and to the border of camp. Lee, Will, and I stood with maybe five other Apollo campers, watching the woods, arrows knocked on our respective bows. Then I saw why I was woken up so early. A drakon, an Aethiopian drakon to be exact. The beast was almost as long as a school bus, probably longer. Its scales were bright green and its piercing eyes sent a shiver down my spine.