Chapter 22: Dewdrops

      Annabeth








     It was long after we gave camp our Iris-message. I closed my eyes and remembered the scene in the background. Celestia was worried, the grass was charred, and the hydra was officially dead. We stopped for rest on a grassy hill, and the snowy kingdom could be seen just a mile away. I could picture the snowy village, and Glinda trapped in an icy cell. We needed her to complete a prophecy.
    It was autumn now, and the trees were a beautiful combination of crimson red, pumpkin orange and electric yellow. Acorns were falling down the oak trees and the grass was covered in beautiful, fragile, dewdrops. It was full of serenity--if you put the fact that there's a life-or-death situation in the trash.
   "The dewdrops are beautiful, aren't they?" I turned around. Alec was standing behind me, with a D.S. in his hand.
   "What's up with D.S.'s?" I asked, and sat down on the beaten up picnic bench. Cylena set it up with plates.
   "They're the new in." Alec casually said and I rolled my eyes. He sat down on the wet grass.
   I stared into the snowy mountains, that were sparkling from the sun.
   "Where's Lucas?" I asked.
   "He's helping Panda with the rabbit dung situation." Alec chuckled.
   "You know," I began. "I'm beginning to feel like we're going nowhere with this quest. Everything we've done... it feels like trash."
   Alec frowned. "We completed the first line! And now we're going to complete the second line!" He took a deep breath.
   Cylena returned, this time cooking now. Her white apron said: White Sugar...Comes from Moon.
   When Cylena left to get some food, I spoke. "As one gets lost in the Kingdom of Snow. Who do you think it is?"
    "Maybe Chieko." Alec replied. "Or maybe me..."
    The sun was setting, and the grass covered in dewdrops seemed magical now. They seemed orangey... no. They were like diamonds. No, its both.
    "I'm not sure if you're trying to draw attention or not..." I stood up. "But that's nonsense."
    I strolled back near the forest to look for Lucas, then looked back. The dewdrops... they made something magical. Friendship. I thought. It was friendship.

 "Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends." Czech Proverb

Chapter 21: The Argue Battle

 Lucas






   "Wake up!" Annabeth said. I could hear her outside the tent.
   "Okay... hold on!" I changed from my pajamas to some clothing I found in the tent.
   I unzipped the tent and saw all the campers up and rushing. Annabeth was now working on cooking a cheddar-filled sausage. It was dripping cheese.
    "There you are!" Chieko said, turning towards me. "I got an Iris-message."
    I blinked. "Iris-message?"
    "It's a message that require drachmas and mist." Chieko said. "Iris is the rainbow goddess, and rainbows of course, are made of mist." She quickly added.
    "So what's the Iris-message about?"
    I turned and saw Annabeth standing only a few feet away. She was holding Panda's hand, who was greedily eating his cheddar filled sausage.
   Chieko smiled. "Celestia and Sara were wondering if you were okay."
   "We're fine!" I said. Then I tilted my head. "How did they know we're here?"
   Chieko ignored me. "They just had a recent battle against the hydra, who came back again. They were victorious, but many were injured. Sara was wondering if Annabeth could come back to help."
   Annabeth groaned. "I'm the child of the god of death, not a child of healing. Big difference."
   "She's right. She'll turn dead squirrels into flying zombie squirrels with a beak." I said.
   Chieko thoughtfully looked at the sky. She closed her eyes for a second. "Then we'll have to continue. Let's Iris-message them later."


                                  ,____,
                                   [^v^]
                                   /)__)


          Celestia




        I watched the fallen hydra on the ground, with bowmen ready to launch their arrows. Sara was watching on a rooftop. So many things have happened ever since Annabeth, Lucas and Alec left on their journey.
        I softly ran over, and climbed the vines that led to Sara's roof. She was pale white, ever since we gave Chieko that Iris-message.
        "Who's the dove?" Sara demanded. "What does the prophecy mean?"
        "I can't tell you." I answered simply.
        "Who said?" Sara stood up, drawing a sword. It was dripping a glowing green liquid.
        "Poison," I murmured. I glared up at her. Then my gazed softened. "No one said... I can't tell you. It'll ruin the future!"
        "Isn't that better?" Sara did a thrust with her poisonous sword. I easily side-stepped.
        "No,"
       "EVERYONE WANTS TO RUIN THE FUTURE! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?" Sara was shouting out the words and crazily swinging her sword. She was getting on my nerves. Then she slapped me. That was the limit.
        I did a 360 backwards, then removed my Necklace of Delphi and whispered soft words. "My beautiful weapon, hear my cry. My hate and anger, I cannot deny!" The necklace turned into a long staff, glowing green with the pendent, now larger, on the top.
       I easily swung my staff, and struck the roof. Debris fell and the roof caved in, making a hole in the roof. I jumped down. Sara followed with a scowl.
       "What's wrong, chicken?" Sara did a swing, and I blocked it carefully, then kicked her stomach.
       "A fight between an immortal and demi-titan. Very interesting!" I pointed my staff to the right, and slashed the air. A green barrier grew where I pointed the staff, like drawing.
      Sara groaned in rage, and stabbed the forcefield. It shattered, and I climbed through a window, and slid down a pole.
      "Come back!" I slowly noticed Sara's voice was growing distorted. She was being controlled by Oceanus, her evil titan father. I just felt that radiating evilness.
      I waved my staff to the left, and jerked it upwards. Sara got flung and landed 10 feet away. I scrabbled over into the lobby of the camp. Sam was busy playing Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks on his D.S. He looked up lazily.
      "Oh, hey Celestia." He said casually. "What's up?"
      "Listen!" Sam widened his eyes. I continued. "Sara's father is possessing her! How can I stop her?"
      "Easy. You prank her hardcore until she's so full of pranks, she vomits spitting out the possessing junk of her father!" Sam grinned, and frowned when I cast him a glance.
      "You've been playing too much video games."
      Sara crashed through the doorway and glared at me. Sam quickly scrabbled to his feet and jumped to the kitchen. I stared at him in disbelief. Then I noticed he was using potions!
      "Muggenwort will do!" Sam said happily and poured it right into Sara's mouth. Her eyes flashed for a moment, and then she fainted.
      "Is she ok?" I asked worriedly.
      Sam beamed. "More like awesomely ok! Dude, you should've seen me! I was all like, whisk whisk and you're  expression was priceless!" I rolled my eyes and trudged to the door.
      Peace!

    "Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives."   William James                               

Chapter 20~Glinda's Escape

I'm so happy! 20th chapter! Woot woot! Sorry... anyways, enjoy reading! :) ~Kallik






   Annabeth








    "Would you like some scones? I made some myself!" Chieko pushed a plate full of hot steaming scones onto a small, wooden table. I don't like scones but hey, I'm starving so why not?
    "Thanks." Alec stuffed one scone into his mouth. "Yum! It has blueberries and..." Alec began coughing.
    "Alec?" Lucas asked. "You ok?"
    Alec began squeezing his neck.
    "Oh my gosh he's choking!" I said. I never experienced someone choking so this was a real shock.
    Chieko began hitting Alec's stomach with a hammer. The scone flew out of his mouth and landed onto the plate. Perfectly also. "This hammer always works. These scones always makes people choke."
    The scone in my hand didn't seem appetizing anymore. It seemed like poison. "You have any another snacks? We are starving!"
    "Yeah!" Lucas and Alec said together.
    "Mmm... we do have peanut butter sandwiches..." Chieko looked down thoughtfully at a box in the corner of the tent.
    I could see Lucas and Alec's mouths watering, and I found mine watering also. Mmm! Peanut butter sandwiches... I could almost taste the creaminess of the peanut butter, on my tongue.
    "But under one condition!" Chieko said. "You'll have to help us find Glinda."
    "Okay! Easy!" Lucas said, eyes fixed on the box.
    "Yep." Me and Alec said together.
    "It's very dangerous, and I can see that Annabeth here is new to this demigod...ness." Now that was just insulting! Well, it was true... I was new...
    "But I took down the Nemean Lion!" I said out loud. Chieko fixed her eyes on me.
    "Really? Well you are a daughter of Hades. Adding you two would complete the Big Three's children... and Alec over there can have some "bonding time" with his sister. Deal! Now we have set up your beds over outside." Chieko opened the box and gave us some peanut butter sandwiches, on-the-go.
    We ate our sandwiches greedily and settled into our separate tents.



    Glinda






   The walls were icy cold. The ceiling, covered with sharp icicles. The floor, filled with powdered snow. I couldn't stop shivering. I buried myself deeper in my jacket. The god walked threw the walls like water.
   "Tell me where Gaia slumbers!" He boomed.
   I only chattered my teeth in response. I knew he didn't mean to act so mean! But he was so scary! Plus, who'd act so unsmarticle? Killing Gaia meant that you'd kill earth, killing hundreds of mortals! My daddy's a mortal... his name is George! He works in Colorado, making guns for the war in that place in Africa.
   I missed Chieko. I missed Cylena. I missed Gravy and Panda. I mostly missed Helina, my best friend. I really hoped and prayed that they would find those other three. Does that confuse you? My daddy is catholic and my mom is greek so, I mostly believe in God though....
   "Fine! Since you won't answer, I'll turn the AC off for a while...." The icy god looked at a thermometer high enough so I couldn't reach it.
   He was about to go back out, but as he was midway through the wall, I used my ability to be cuter.
   "Wait! Can you let me out?" I said it with the cutest voice you could imagine.
   The ice god took a long hard look at me. Then he smiled and let me out of the prison, through the corridors of ice, and then out of the snowy kingdom.
   "Now, good-bye!" I giggled.
   Suddenly, I noticed he was breaking the spell. But before he was wondering where he was, I had flashed out of sight.