Chapter 16 – Son of Wisdom gives me advice[]
Raina’s arms and left leg were bandaged up pretty bad; turns out she had been injured before she went shooting at the chimera with me. Emily wasn’t in a great shape either, apparently, Aphrodite Campers aren’t so athletic compared to the rest of the crowd of Half-Bloods. Emily’s head hit a pavement so hard her head was bandaged up – she was crying so loudly when I arrived at the Infirmary – not because she almost had a concussion or the fact her head might’ve broken or her head might have a major injury at the very least – but because she didn’t look good. Okay, so I’m used to Em always being picky when it comes to Fashion and after she went to Aphrodite Cabin, somehow her mother’s DNA just evolved into a whole new (bigger) level – which I find ironic since gods don’t have DNA.
Raina was leaning on a bed; her left forearm was tied up with medical tape, her forehead still bandaged up, Mary with her – she was holding a spoon of melted chocolate midway towards Em’s mouth, Raina was beside her huddled with her two siblings – Kayla and Kurt (they’re twins who have been here for about a year long).
“Hey” I muttered, sitting between them as I wiped my eyes – didn’t have sleep well last night – I still have nightmare – the same ones I always see, but in different perspective – last night, though, there something else. I dreamt I was in Mount Olympus after the scene of Artemis being thrown down her chariot – the scene easily shifted to Olympus where a very handsome sandy haired guy with bright glittering blue eyes sat up from a golden chair and look at me straight in the eyes. He whispered, Artemis. “How are you two holding up?” I asked quietly.
Raina nodded as Kayla gave her some ambrosia. “Okay I guess. Healing quickly thanks to these two,” she pointed at the twins, “turns out they are one of the best healers.”
I nodded, “Good to hear.”
Raina and Emily studied me for a moment, Emily said, “Lulu, you’ve been sleeping lately?” I scowled, I hated when Emily called me that, but she only uses it when she’s really, really worried of me, like now.
I nodded, putting on a fake smile, “Of course! I feel great.”
They didn’t buy it, “You have black lines under your eyes.” Emily hinted.
“And you’ve been yawning the whole way here.” Raina added.
“I feel fine.” I said.
Mary shook her head, “Sleep is a factor for good skin, you know.”
I shrugged.
Kayla muttered, “Is it dreams?”
I looked at her, surprised.
“Dreams often have meanings,” Kurt said, “If not, they are real events.”
“Most dreams have reasons and meanings why a demigod sees them.” Kayla interjected.
I didn’t speak; I felt the whole land on my shoulders – real events? If that’s true… then Artemis … no, that can’t be… No! No, no, no … Artemis… Mom.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, “Can we help?” Raina asked.
I shook my head, Raina and Emily needs to concentrate on just healing, they don’t need to think about me and worrying because of it.
“I’m fine” I said curtly. After that we chatted and didn’t speak of the topic again, I excused myself after the twins left.
I stayed in my cabin’s porch sitting there while Thalia tended Hunters who were hurt in a separate Infirmary, I didn’t go to see them because I already saw them last night. I sighed just thinking about what the dreams meant.
I heard footsteps approach and saw a tall boy with tanned skin, golden hair and stormy gray eyes – Cuinn, Son of Athena, and third rank in their Cabin.
“Hi” he said with a bright smile.
I nodded, and said “Hello”
He walked and sat beside me a fair good distance away, “How are you?”
“Alright.” I answered, squirming an inch away, somehow, the aura of those who had Y chromosomes tend to avert me from them, maybe because Artemis was a maiden goddess who didn’t have children.
“That’s good to hear.” He said, looking at a tree nymph with an old satyr, they looked like they were discussing something.
“And you?” I asked.
“Great” he said, “except for a few wounds ambrosia can’t fix.”
I regarded and spoke nothing. The dreams were crystal clear before my eyes. I can’t seem to get rid of them.
“Hey,” Cuinn said, reaching out, I avoided his touch and nodded. “I’m alright, didn’t sleep well.”
He nodded and took his arm, placing it on his lap, “Bad dreams?”
“More like Nightmares – bad ones. Ones that I want to get rid of.”
“Maybe they mean something.” He sounded much like Annabeth, well, like any Athenian kid, always thinking a millions things at once.
“Maybe. That’s what Kayla and Kurt said.”
“Tell me about it, maybe I can help.”
I thought about that, I was actually planning to tell Thalia about this, but apparently she’s trapped in the Infirmary, and I so wanted to tell someone – actually tell them and ask for help. Annabeth or Percy or even Nico were my other choices, but I felt so defeated and just blurted out my dreams about my mother at Cuinn – who didn’t even mind when I spoke so fast, he just sat there, his eyes miles and miles away. He looked like a painting – engrossed and handsome.
“Artemis is in danger, that’s pretty obvious right there,” he said, his eyes seem to search something yet he can’t find it somewhere, “Otus and Ephialtes were two Giants, sons of Poseidon himself. But they grew too powerful to contain. Ephialtes hungered for Hera and Otus wanted Artemis. In the story they were planning to invade Olympus but Artemis stopped them in the nick of time.”
“Why didn’t the god just stop them?”
“Because they are Poseidon’s sons,” he whispered, “you can’t just kill his children. Beside those two were pretty powerful. Artemis was a smart goddess; she used wits to defeat them.”
I nodded, “But…”
“But what’s with your dreams?” he finished, he looked at me then smiled, I looked away at once, he sighed, “Maybe there is a meaning. Maybe the twins have returned, and maybe – just maybe, your dream about Artemis being captured, might be real. Tonight’s going to be a full moon, where Artemis rides her chariot as she raises the moon. But recently I’ve noticed the moon was getting hazy.”
“You’ve noticed that too, huh?” I asked. Every night, the moon seemed to hazy away as if the night was engulfing it.
He nodded, “I have one conclusion for this.”
“What?”
“Ask the Oracle” he looked at me straight in the eye, his gray eyes were glowing beautifully, “You need a quest to save Artemis.”
ℓʋиα ƨιℓvɛя 13:34, February 10, 2011 (UTC)