𝕚𝕧𝕪; annabeth chase

iv.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"why didn't you wake me?" the girl hisses, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as they walked towards the dining pavilion.

her brother shrugs. "i didn't think you wanted to see it."

maddie freezes where she stands, giving her brother an incredulous look. "percy, you saw nico! i think i'd want to know if the son of hades was summoning bloody ghosts—"

"alright, alright!" percy exclaims. they continued walking through the camp, the morning sun warm on their backs.

the boy ran a hand through his already messy hair. "i'm worried about him. he's in the middle of the fucking underworld, trying to bring his sister back from the dead, and all the while probably planning my death. the ghost kept offering him 'revenge for his sister', and i have a small feeling that includes us."

maddie sighs, tightening her ponytail. "what are we going to do with him?"

"i wish i knew. hey, did you have a dream last night?"

"no," maddie answers, a little to quickly. she cleared her throat. "why?"

percy shrugs. "dunno, just . . . you were acting kinda weird when i woke up. kept muttering stuff."

"oh, that's . . . weird."

"yeah." it's clear in percy's tone that he doesn't believe her, but thankfully drops the subject.

maddie had hardly slept the rest of the night, her visit from ariadne kept circling around in her brain. the lip gloss she had been gifted was stuffed under her mattress, maddie being too stubborn to use it. she would not be using her father's signature weapon anytime soon, if she could help it. besides, her new katana was fine.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

as it turns out, the chaos that ensured in cabin 3 wasn't the only exciting that had happened the night before. apparently, an aethiopian drakon had been spotted at the borders of the camp. the protective boundaries did their job and prevented the creature from entering, but the news still made maddie's stomach flutter nervously.

"it's still out there," lee fletcher announced. "twenty arrows in its hide, and we just made it mad. the thing was thirty feet long and bright green. it's eyes—" he shuddered.

chiron patted his shoulder comfortingly. "you did well, lee. everyone stay alert, but calm. this has happened before."

"aye," said a voice from the head table. maddie started, not yet noticing this new person. he looked to be about in his fifties, with greying hair and a clipped grey beard. he was strangely fit for his age. "and it will happen again. more and more frequently."

"who's that?" maddie murmured to her brother. she expected him to be as clueless as she was, but to her surprise, percy glanced at him and said, "oh, that's quintus. he's the new instructor. mr. d's away."

the whole thing with the drakon was making maddie uncomfortably jittery. it was as though the drakon had been a warning sign of the dangers that lurked near them. a reminder that an army was gathering as they sat at breakfast, with many of the soldiers being their former campmates and friends.