Chapter 10:

I looked up from my pillow and wiped the tears from my eyes. I looked at Taika, and I thought I saw mischief in her gaze. My head fell back down onto my pillow, and I closed my eyes again.

"I'm not in the mood Taika. Go away." I heard her footsteps grow closer, until she was climbing the stairs to my bunk. She grabbed my shoulders and shook me, until I looked at her. I groaned, and I looked at her eyes. Mischief was not the emotion that played across her gaze. It was fear.

"Poppy, the camp is under attack," she said while making pauses between every word.

Then, I heard a shrill scream come from outside my cabin. I ran to my window and looked out of it. I gasped in horror as I saw monsters take over our camp. The monsters were nothing I've ever seen before. They looked like…. Well, just about every Greek myth put together. I couldn't help but skim around the battle in search of Nico. Oh bull crap to that. If he doesn't want me, why should I want him? I thought instantaneously. I turned back around to face Taika.

"What are we going to do?" I asked in a shrill voice.

"What do you think genius? Fight them of course," she said rolling her eyes.

I couldn't help but grin as her normal cockiness returned.

"You go out there and stall, I'll be right there. I have a way to surprise the monsters."

Taika ran outside and screamed a bloody battle cry. I shut the door behind her and locked it tight.

I grabbed my ring and stared at it. I then realized I have never given it a name. I thought about my experience here and only thought of one good name. When I came here, I had to learn who was my friend, enemy, and my best friend. In just a week, I learned to trust people beyond reason in just the short time I was here. The only name I could think of for my bow/ring is Fiducia, meaning 'trust' in Latin. I guess that would work.

I put it on my ring finger, and I bolted out the back door. I shut it hard and hid the door with a nearby, though small, bush. I looked up at the rusty, undependable, and treacherous ladder that was here when I arrived. As far as I know, I am the only one that knows about this ladder. I discovered it when I was checking out my cabin for the first time. It was hidden behind a wall full of vines, weeds, and plants. After I cleared it away, it was a very ancient ladder. I haven't mentioned it to anybody, in fear of it being removed. I don't know why, but the ladder comforted me. It gave me a sense of normality, because it was the only normal thing in this entire place. Sure, it was old and rusty, but it just didn't feel right to have it exposed. I know that sounds stupid, but whatever.

I grabbed the first rung of the ladder, and a pile of rust fell onto my hand. I shook the ladder, and it easily swayed. The sounds of the battle surrounded the air, and I realized I had to sneak up onto my roof by using the ladder. I took a deep breath, and I grabbed the first two rungs of the ladder. I jumped to put my foot on the first rung, and the ladder began to shake. I held my breath, as I started to climb the ladder gently. All the noises of the battle were drowned out by my own heart beat.

Eventually, I made it to the top of the roof without falling, dying, or having a panic attack. I ripped my ring off my ring finger and threw it in the air. Ha. I could make a parody of Taio Cruz's song "Dynamite". I throw my ring up in the air sometimes, saying Ayo, here is my bow. I smiled to myself, because I could become an internet star from that. Wait. I'm getting off topic again.

Anyway, I army crawled over to the chimney and hid behind it. The roof of my cabin was basically a garden of scarlet poppies, and it donned on me that that was why the ladder was there. I reached over and looked at my quiver, which I grabbed before I left the cabin. I put my quiver in front of me and looked inside. 13 arrows. Not a lot, but they will have to do. I loaded my bow, and I quickly jumped up and looked for the closest monster. The things were nasty, and I wanted them all to die and burn in Tartarus. I took aim at the closest one and shot it in the face. It didn't even have enough time to react to the bow before it disintegrated. I shot back down behind the chimney, but before I did I caught a glimpse of some other sort of monster. It was the one that is in the circle and bites it's tail in dungeons and dragons or whatever. I managed to dissolve a couple more beasts before I remembered what it was called; the Amphisbaena. I shot back up and shot another random monster before I hid back down.

I can't keep doing this, I thought. With all the courage I had left in me, I ran to the edge of the roof and started kicking some serious monster hienie. While I was aiming at a monster, out of the corner of my eye I saw a monster head toward Alex.

"Behind you!" I shouted as loud as I could. She ducked immediately and slashed upward as the sand fell onto her body. She nodded thanks to me, and I smiled back before returning to my mission.

After killing some monsters, I saw Alex fighting the Amphisbaena. That seemed dangerous, but it's not like I could do anything about it. I didn't pay attention to her fight until I ran out of arrows, so I only saw what happened at the very end. Alex waited for the snakes' heads to retract and coil before it struck. With a swift movement, she went in and and sliced both of the heads off at once. The Amphisbaena slowly disintegrated, but what was odd was that the remaining monsters slowly disintegrated. It was not at the normal pace they usually do. Then, out of nowhere, a bell started to appear out of the air. The bell tolled numerous times, and images swirled around the in a dome. It looked like a giant hi-def TV. Now if only I had one of those in my cabin.

After the 13th toll, the images started to turn gold and melt away into writing. It looked like some sort of prophecy, and Alex's face fall. She obviously recognized the prophecy, and she didn't look happy about it. It must've been her quest. A single drop of gold seemed to fall down from the shimmering writing like candle wax to form a symbol over her hair, though I was too far away to see exactly what it was because it has some serious glare. Chiron mentioned Alex being the daughter of Clio, and then I decided to bail.

I quietly half fell- half climbed down the ladder and went into my cabin. It was dark, musty, old, and very lonely. I threw my bow in the air, and it transformed back into my ring. I shoved it angrily onto my finger and went to my bed. Why did Alex have to get the quest and not me! She was here for only a day and she already got a quest. That's not fair! I bet her life is all dandy and happy, and she gets everything handed to her. Why does her life have to be so perfect and mine can't?

I heard the sound of cheers or some loud shouting, and I decided to go to bed. Within moments, I willed myself into sleep and I was drifting into a place I was oddly familiar with.

ooo

I landed with a large thud outside my dad's cave. My dad was standing near the River Lethe, and he was gazing at the poppy plants. He looked mesmerized by the plant, and I was half afraid to speak.

"D-Dad?" He turned around to face me when I spoke his name. He looked tired (which is not a good thing, especially if you are the god of sleep!). He walked toward me and stopped a few feet in front of me.

"Thank the gods you are here! I have to discuss something with you. Come along," he said leading the way to his cave. I walked inside of it, and the place was like a mini condo. He led me to his dining room, and a glass of milk was waiting for me there.

"Sit. Drink some milk," he urged, pushing the glass closer to me.

I raised my eyebrow, and I took a sip of godly milk. It was rich and nutritious, and it tasted great.

"We need to talk child."

"What is it?" I said in mid sip.

"I have decided….. I'm going to side with Hades in the war," he said kind of nervously, knowing what my reaction was going to be.

When I heard him say "siding" and "Hades", I spontaneously spit out the milk from my mouth, and it landed all over the floor. I ignored the milk running down my chin and glared at my father.

"WHAT?" I screamed.

"Look, it's for the best-. "

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? Are you not aware of what happened to me and Nico? Do you know that siding with Hades means I will have to fight with Nico? He is the most selfish, emotional, uncooperative, and stupid half-blood there is! He. Is. Just. Like. His. Father!" I blurted out in rage. I wanted to take the last part back, but alas, I couldn't.

"Now wait just a minute. His father may be a little harsh, but he is an okay man. I think it is the best way to go. Siding with him that is. You will just have to get over that little crush of yours and move on with your life. Get a tissue; and wipe your eyes, because it isn't that dang important!" He said emotionless. I was outraged by the words that were coming out of his mouth. I wanted to punch him in the face. I wanted to scream, cry, and kick. I sound like a 5 year old who didn't get a cookie, but it was how I was feeling.

"I know why you did it. It's obvious," I belted out.

"Oh yeah? What is that?" He asked angrily.

"You don't love me," I said matter-of-factly. "I'm outta here."

As I saw my dream body begin to float back to my real body, I saw the look of despair on my dad's face, but I could tell he thought his decision was for the best, and the idea kept on nagging me at the back of my mind. I probably should've at least heard him out. I didn't care though; because I knew what I said was true. He doesn't love me. He just wants me to help him. To bad. I'm helping nobody.

ooo

I woke up to see myself sweating. Nasty. I guess I have to go get a shower.

My shower took about an hour, because the rust from the ladder and the dirt by the chimney covered every skin particle visible on my body.

I got into a pair of old jean shorts and a tee shirt that had a picture of Pauly D on it, who is from the Jersey Shore. I am in love with the show, (A/N I do not advise watching that show unless you are 13 and older! Just warning you!) and Pauly D is my favorite person on there. Some may think he's a jerk, but I am in love with him. It seemed like I was the only 'nerd' who watched that show. I was bored, so I put in two tidy French braids going down the back of my head. My mother taught me to do that when I was seven. It was very hard at first, but it became easier along the way. Anyway, I put on a pair of shoes that I happened to spot first, which were my flip flops, and I headed out the door.

The air was toasty warm, and my outfit was perfect for the weather today. I was walking to the Persephone cabin to look for Genviève, (Which is pronounced Shawn-Vee-Ev) but I got sidetracked by seeing an archery competition going on. I walked over to the arena and sat in the stands.

One reason why I went was because I know Nico wouldn't be there, because he told me before he despises archery. Another reason was because I had nothing else better to do.

I couldn't help but notice a muscular and slightly tanned kid across from me. The kid had a bush for a head. His brown locks were bouncing off his head whenever he clapped for the participants. If I could get a straightener on that puppy, I bet it would take a good two and a half hours to straighten it, and it would probably go down to his shoulders. When he somewhat turned my way, I couldn't help but notice his hazel eyes. They were so normal. Sure, a kid my age shouldn't be that muscular, but he did seem like an all-around average guy. Sure, he was cute, but he isn't my type. I like the mysterious and quiet ones better. He looks like a popular jock, and he seems to have a bit of cockiness in his facial expressions, but hey, what do I know? He could be a great guy with a great personality. Who knows? When I was surveying him, he looked my way and smiled a million dollar smile. I grinned back, but looked down to the floor, noticing the texture in the stands. I began to hear footsteps coming my way, and I quickly looked up to see the muscular kid standing there.

"Hello there," he said casually.

"Hi," I said nonchalantly trying not to notice his muscular arms.

"The name's Glenn," he said reaching out his hand, and I cautiously raised my hand for him to shake it. He had a strong grip, which was abnormal for a teenage boy.

"Poppy. Nice to meet you," I said shyly.

"I couldn't help but notice you staring at me. What was all that about?" He said grinning at me in a joking manner.

"I-I'm sorry. I was just… Um daydreaming," I stammered. He laughed a genuine laugh.

"It's alright. So hey, I'm new here, and I was wondering if you wanted to show me a cool place here? Maybe around 11 tonight? I'd like to know some places to escape when I'm down, ya know?"

Was it me, or was he asking me on a date? No, it wasn't a date; he was just simply asking me if I could show him some cool places here. But at 11 'o clock at night? That, I didn't understand. I realized I haven't said anything for the past 30 seconds, so I decided to talk to him.

"Don't you think that's a little straightforward," I asked not making direct eye contact with him.

"Oh. I'm sorry if that seemed candid, but I just wanted to propose an offer for us to get to commute better and get to know each other better. So will you take up on my offer?"

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. His vocabulary was quite large and it actually made sense, unlike those stupid people who try to put 'big' words in sentences, and they don't even make sense. He was genuinely smart.

"Well, since you put it that way," I said finally making eye contact with him. "That would be exquisite," I said somewhat grinning. His smile flashed again, and I couldn't help but look away.

"It's settled. Meet me in the woods. Go in it a little, so we can't be seen. Deal?" he said sticking out his hand once again.

"Deal," I said taking his hand and giving it what was probably a girly squeeze. He chuckled and sat down beside me. His brown hair was continuing to bounce for every move he made. I couldn't help but smile. He seemed cool, and I bet he was a cool person when I got to know him a little better. He turned toward me.

"Want to walk around some? I'm still not really used to the place," he said curiously.

"Fine by me. This really isn't that exciting anyway."

We got up from the stands, and we made our way out of the arena. I pointed out every cabin and who it belonged to. I could tell it still blew his mind that gods and goddesses existed. Plus, we got to know each other a little bit better. He told me back at his school, he was the star running back for his team. He loved to play football, golf, hockey, track, and baseball. To me, he seemed like an amazing athlete. His body could probably handle anything. I also told him about myself. I told him how I was a very quiet girl, but a very smart student (not to brag). I told him I was considered a 'nerd' in my school and he said,

"No way! You? You seem like the last person to be a nerd. You're too cool to be a nerd." I couldn't help but blush at that.

While we were walking around camp, I saw Nico heading my way. I then realized that Glenn would make Nico jealous, considering how much 'cooler' he was. I quickly laced my arm through his and started randomly laughing saying "Oh Glenn, you're so funny!"

"Why thank you," he grinned suspiciously.

I pretended not to notice Nico as we walked by him, but when we did walk by; I couldn't help but turn around. And it broke my heart to see a trace of agony in his gaze as he watched me walk side by side with Glenn.

PRAISE THE GODS THIS IS FINALLY DONE!

Sorry for the very, very, very long updating time for this. If you have read my comments, SomniumAstrum commented saying I was a procrastinator, and she is right. :3

To get an even better look at what else is happening while Poppy is at camp, you should read Gem of the Sea by SomniumAstrum, Alexandria the Great by NoxAstrum, and finally In Black and White by MinimusAstrum.

Once again, I am sorry for the very long delay in my story, but I promise the 11th chapter should be up WAY sooner than 3 months from now :3

Now the disclaimer! It is brought to you by Rubik's Cube Fran.

Fran: SpiritusAstrum does not own PJO, Dynamite, Taio Cruz, rings, poppies, milk, Jersey Shore, Pauly D, archery, and flip flops. I do own Poppy, Jake (In Alexandria the Great), and Glenn. The authors mentioned above all share my OCs. SPIRITUSASTRUM! SOLVE ME!

Me: I can't! You're just too hard! Anyway, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEWWW! Or I shall never right again… O_O

Thank you! Keep checking my story for the next chappy (hopefully) coming soon! Please favorite! :D ~.Love.~~SpiritusAstrum~