Solis

Chapter XIV

It's been two weeks since Percy was poisoned and taken to the Big House. Annabeth didn't want to let Ron in, so Argus had to help him leave while he struggled. Annabeth assured him that Percy was okay and Chiron had healed him.

However, Ron sensed that Annabeth wanted to tell him something, but she held back.

Secrets.

Ron was aware of them.

They always kept secrets, leaving Ron feeling left out. He decided to let it go and tried to find Luke the next day, but he couldn't locate him anywhere. He even checked the arena where some year-round campers were practicing with dummies.

Ron knocked on the door of the Hermes cabin, and it swung open.

"Have you seen Luke?" Ron asked, his fingers fidgeting with the bracelet bead.

The other Hermes campers appeared concerned and shook their heads. They mentioned that Luke hadn't returned yesterday after going to train in the arena. One of them speculated that he might have finally gone back to his home outside the camp

“But, Luke told me he doesn't have a…" Ron's hand grasped at his red hair in confusion. Luke hadn't mentioned that he didn't have a home outside the camp, or had he? The camp had become Luke's home, or maybe he did have one and—

Secrets. Just like Annabeth, he had left Ron alone to gone back to their home outside.

Ron wiped away a tear as he sat on his bunk, feeling the emptiness around him. The cabin, once full of life and laughter, now felt quiet and lonely. He missed the presence of his half-siblings, their conversations, laughter, and even their arguments. Ron reached for his radio, hoping that the music would bring him some comfort. 

As the music played, he looked around at the empty bunk beds, noticing a few stuffed animals that his siblings had left behind. 

Kayla, Austin, and the others had promised to keep in touch through Iris Messaging, and Ron had made the same promise, but right now, he wasn't that desperate to make them all come back. 

Ron joined other kids from different cabins who were also staying for the year, except for the Ares cabin which had many campers staying. He felt a bit jealous of the Athena cabin, which had seven campers staying for the year, while the other cabins had either five or ten—the Ares cabin had the most campers staying. 

During every capture-the-flag game, the rest of the cabins teamed up against the Ares cabin. Ron was part of them, always joining the Athena cabin. They were skilled at planning and strategy, and the campers there were really smart. Ron, on the other hand, well—just, a kid. Not smart, just good at archery. 

Eating in the Dining Pavilion was worst for Ron because he had to eat by himself. Chiron would often look over at his spot, showing concern in his eyes even though he didn't really say anything.

After dinner, Ron had to tell everyone to join the sing-along, and he was glad that the Demeter campers and some satyrs loved to sing-along that made everyone joined. Except for the Ares kids who were always heading straight back to their cabins after dinner. 

Ron couldn't just accept that. He didn't know why he felt compelled to knock on the door of the Ares cabin. The massive boar head decoration there seemed to be staring right at Ron, but maybe he was just feeling really restless and bored.

The door swung open, revealing a huge girl, but as soon as she saw Ron, she abruptly slammed the door shut.

Ron was left feeling annoyed and knock to the door again as the door swung open.

“That's not how you treat a visitor,” Ron glared at the girl. But this time, it wasn't the same girl as before. This time, a massive and muscular boy opened the door. He looked menacing and held an axe in his hand.

“Next time, you should join the sing-along, it's fun,” Ron suggested.

The boy's expression darkened. “It would be even more fun if I swung this axe at your head, punk,” he hissed before slamming the door shut.

Ron grew frustrated and stomped his feet as he made his way back to his cabin. He decided to distract himself by re-reading his Spider-Man comics on his bunk bed. He even checked out what his cabinmates had stored under their bunks, although everything had already been tidied up. He attempted a cartwheel through the mini-kitchen, and then he tried reading the mythology books about his dad that were on their small bookshelf.

Despite his efforts, Ron couldn't find anything that truly take his interest. His restless mind urged him to keep moving and searching for something more engaging.

So when afternoon came, they had a music session with some satyrs and nymphs so Ron joined the other campers trying make musics with them, after that he had to take archery lesson with others, and climbing wall and…

Ron hugged his soft yellow pillow and lay on the cabin floor. He looked up at the ceiling, wishing his dad could visit him or be there to keep him company. He didn't want to feel lonely and desperate amymore.

That evening, he had a bad dreams. He was standing alone and saw blurry visions of many people surrounding him as they screamed as colorful lights appeared in every direction. When he woke up, he was out of breath and went to his brother Lee's bed for comfort, feeling scared. 

He reminded himself to be brave, because what kind of a hero he is if he's not brave?

Ron focused on his training and spent time with the other kids to keep himself busy. He had only four golden drachmas left for Iris Messaging, and he already used seven of them to contact Kayla, Austin, and Lee and the others. He also tried reaching out to Will, but he didn't respond.

He just patiently waited for winter, the time when others would return for the holiday break.

But no—around October, while Ron was playimg Mythomagic cards with kids from Athena and Demeter outside the cabins, something happened. They heard some shoutings and a strange feeling spread among them, as if something had vanished.

"The border!" the camper exclaimed as they ran towards their direction. Clarrise, who was talking with her half-siblings just outside their cabin, turned her attention to the camper and listened to what they said. Everyone, including Ron and the kids he was playing with, gathered around to see what was going on.

"What in the gods are you talking about?" He heard Clarrise asked, and he saw her angry expression change to one of confusion and then—terror.

"We need Chiron, right now!" She yelled. "Round up the others, guard the borders in case that monster managed to sneaks in, grab weapons from the armory, and give cabin nine a heads up for weapon duty."

"What's going on!?" one of them questioned, while Ron felt confused and surprised. Clarrise glanced at them, her expression showed them they were in great danger, and they quickly understand it. All of a sudden, that sensation returned again, even stronger this time, causing the hair on their arms to stand up.

"NOW!" Clarrise's command sent everyone into a frenzy. Some dashed to the armory and then back to their cabins to grab weapons. Those who already had weapons nodded and headed towards the borders to check. Ron sprinted toward their cabin, pulling out the bow Nyssa had crafted for him and his quiver.

As Ron dashed outside, he accidentally collided with Malcolm, his head bumbped harshly on the other's nose—a boy he knew but wasn't usually seen outdoors and didn't interact much with Ron either.

"Be careful, Ron! Ouch, my nose!" Malcolm grumbled, in pain, clutching his nose.

"Sorry," Ron replied, panicking. The boy was clutching a pile of woods (which he doesn't know what for) as he tried to shook his head in paint.

"Chill out, just head to the armory, and help the others grab the weapons and armor out," Malcolm instructed. Without a moment's hesitation, the redhead swiftly made his way towards the armory, helping the others.

Ron joined the others in placing tables outside to arrange the armors and weapons. Clarrise returned, holding a spear, and instructed everyone on what to do. However, Chiron's absence leaves them an uneasy feeling. 

Clarrise won't say anything, just giving orders. Satyrs and dryads suddenly coming out of the forest, because they must sensed it too.

Ron thought, that the year ahead wouldn't be fun.

🔆

Ron sensed the arrival of winter from the date on the calendar, marking December. Yet, unlike usual, the camp wasn't sprinkled with snow—usually, the campers would allow snow in to play around. But this time they were morr preoccupied guarding the camp. Since October, everyone was on high alert. 

The returning campers on the winter solstice weren't in luck either—only eight of Ron's half-siblings returned back after hearing about what happened. He felt relieved that Lee was one with them. It was a good thing that the head counselors who had returned last summer were informed about the situation.

Ron was worried because he thought Lee might not go to school until summer and he knew skiping classes would affect him getting into university.

Ron I.M'ed Kayla and Austin to tell them about the camp's situation. They hesitated at first, but they eventually agreed, knowing that the camp was their home too.

"We'll join the others," Kayla affirmed, as the two made it at the camp.

Finally, during dinner with everyone around, Chiron explained what was really happening. Someone posioned Thalia's pine tree and Chiron also cautioned them against informing the other campers outside—it was too dangerous. That same night, everyone was just anxious, they stopped sing-alongs every after dinner and started taking turns to watch the borders instead—Ron was very sad about it.

The next day, they found out that their guard, Argus, had been fired. 

"What the heck is going on!?" one of the campers exclaimed, and everyone questioned Chiron too. The dining pavilion buzzed with loud conversations full of confusion.

"Hush, young heroes. Zeus was enraged, for he had to find who to blame for poisoning his daughter's pine tree," Chiron stated, silencing them. "I have been relieved of my duties as the activities director for the upcoming summer. They had chosen someone to replace me. Unfortunately, I may not be present there."

Ron's ham fell from his hand, just like everyone else probably did with their food. He was too stunned to talk. Soon, their surprise turned into quiet cries and frustrations. 

"Protect the camp to the best of your abilities."

They followed through with the plan. The head counselor started giving orders to each cabin member, reporting news about monsters nearby the borders, and creating more weapons. They also met the new camp activities director, and from his expression and behavior, Ron could tell they wouldn't get along with him.

To make things worse, this man—Tantalus—didn't like them.

He even tried to stop them from patrolling around the camp and made them train instead, enjoying their tired faces. But, of course, the others wouldn't give up on that. Every evening, someone had to sneak in to patrol, and someone had to fend off the harpies while they do it.

"He's the worst," Austin said one time, his arms feeling numb from archery session.

"A torturer!" Kayla cried, slipping off her shoes and rubbing her feet.

Ron, who had gotten hurt during a sword lesson he didn't even want to be part of, agreed. He was forced into it because Tantalus was there, lounging in a deck chair, observing them with a unsettling grin. Ron was just unfortunate to be in that situation.

He really wished Luke, Annabeth, and even Percy were there. They wouldn't accept such behavior. 

And oh—talking about bad luck. Tantalus saw the redhead cleaning his bow alone one day in the Amphitheater, the man grabbed it, and looked at it closely. "Very intriguing, huh? Where'd you get this, kid?"

"Hey, that's mine!" Ron stared angrily. He blushed from the attention they were getting and squirmed uncomfortably.

“Is it now? Quite a fine piece of craftsmanship, I must say.“ Tantalus continued, humming to himself while examining the bow. As he moved his hand, the lower and upper parts of the bow automatically returned to their place in the handle.

"Ohhhhh,"

Ron attempted to grab his bow, but Tantalus lifted it out of his reach. Everyone wanted to intervene, but fear held them back—they knew who Tantalus was. Then, suddenly, a familiar girl from Ares cabin appeared—Clarrise.

"The bow," she started, "Give the bow back to him."

Tantalus lifted an eyebrow to her, "Oh, how entertaining. You campers and your belief in entitlement. Fine, do as you wish." He remarked, then threw the bow towards Ron. The redhead missed catching it, and it fell to the ground. "Just keep in mind, I'm keeping an eye on things," he added.

Instead of retrieving his bow from the ground, Ron dashed toward the cabin because of the embarrassment. Nyssa's the one who returned it to him the following day, she was worried but her eyes were a clear indication that she wanted to implant metals and wires inside the man instead.

His half-siblings were concerned when they heard about what had happened, but they were relieved that Tantalus hadn't hurt Ron when they weren't around that time with him.

Kayla and Austin started sticking closer to Ron than they had before—everyone just hated the man so much because Tantalus bothered not only Ron that time, but also the others.

Someone even remarked, "I'm glad he's cursed to never eat or drink." Every campers who heard that agreed. 

The man even had the audacity to continued sing-alongs, but the fire, color, and warmth it once held were fading. Everyone sang quietly, but still feeling tense and uneasy. 

"Now it's our turn to patrol the border," Lee announced one February, placing the camp's map on the table as everyone gathered.

"I'll cover the front border where Thalia's pine tree stands. Two will head south—that's you, Colleb and Aundrey," he began. "Jasmine and Agatha will take the west side. Don't worry, the satyrs patrol the forest borders, so what's only left is the north." Lee glanced at Ron, Kayla, and Austin.

"I need the three of you to patrol it. If you notice anything unusual, report it immediately. Don't engage unless it crosses the border. If that happens, it is better if you call us right away," he instructed. The three of them nodded in agreement.

"What about the harpies?" Ron asked, "They've been a major nuisance."

"Are you seriously asking that?" Jasmine, the girl with a braided blonde hair, raised an eyebrow to the three of them. Ron, Kayla, and Austin exchanged glances, realizing that they were kind of…good at sneaking around.

“Right.“ 

🔆

“So, what's our plan?" Kayla asked while they were patrolling the camp's north side.

"The plan is to patrol," Austin yawned. It was evening, and all three of them were tired.

"I know that," Kayla said, hopping on one foot. "My ankle hurts. I don't like these rubber shoes my dad got me last year. I should've brought my boots if I knew we'd be walking and running this much."

"I should've had some warm milk before we left. I'm feeling sleepy," Ron sighed.

"But I thought you didn't like milk."

"I don't like it."

“Should I just walk in barefoot?“

“I'm sleepy!“

“Should we go back now?

“I can't see anything.“

Suddenly, they heard noises that made them stop in their tracks, bows and arrows at the ready, poised to shoot in any direction. With their backs turned to one another, they scanned the area, trying to locate the source of the sounds.

The noises resembled a pig's grunts and growls, but not quite a pig—more like a boar or something.

"What was that?" Kayla panicked.

"I don't know!" Ron exclaimed, arrow still aimed in all directions.

"Should we let the others know?" Austin asked urgently.

"I don't know!"

“What did Lee tell again!?“

“I don't know!“

“RON!“ Kayla and Austin both exclaimed. 

“I don't know, I forgot!“

So, the three of them decided to just immediately report what they had heard. Lee was extremely relieved that they were safe. Ron didn't exactly happy with that; Austin's impulsiveness made them all anxious. The boy wanted to investigate, but Ron and Kayla had no idea what they were dealing with so they had to dragged him out. The sound they heard, whatever it was, seemed much larger, possibly twice their size.

Their week-long patrol finally came to an end, and after their last round, they collapsed onto their bunk beds. Their exhausted bodies met the soft, comforting surface, and they immediately drifted off to sleep.

Ron only jolted awake when he heard some screaming outside, and then it hit him—a real fight had finally arrived after all that training.