Take off
Evan
Evan had gone back to his cabin three times now. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he had forgotten something. Pandora had told him it was probably just nervousness. Evan had just nodded and gone back to packing.
He knew his sister was worried about him because of what had happened on his last quest. At the time, the whole affair had been a big shock to the camp and a wake-up call for Evan.
He didn't think he had really seen the seriousness of quests. When he was chosen for a quest, he was very excited. After all, it had been a great honour.
Evan hadn't known his team members very well. But that hadn't bothered him.
Kingsley had been a few years older than Evan, which made him seem very responsible. He had been a reassuring presence at camp. When Kingsley was by your side, you had nothing to fear. Or at least that's how Evan felt.
Cerci was different. She was upbeat and optimistic. Evan couldn't really imagine how she would kill a monster. But when he saw her in battle for the first time, the whole image he had of Cerci changed. She was fierce. She was brave.
At the time, there was a rumour that something was brewing. More monsters were appearing than usual. They were more persistent. Evans quest was about investigating this process. They were supposed to be travelling the area and looking for anything unusual.
But then everything went wrong. There were simply too many of them. To this day, Evan still has nightmares of red eyes, sharp beaks and screams. So many screams.
If Kingsley and Cerci hadn't been by his side, he would probably be dead now. It was only thanks to them that he escaped. Evan went back to camp immediately. A few days later, there was still hope that Cerci and Kingsley had survived. But neither of them ever returned to camp. They were gone.
Evan had been young. Too young, some might say. But he knew he could have done something. He should have done something. But he had done nothing.
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When Evan arrived at the agreed drop-off point, most of them were already gathered there. Remus Lupin stood a little apart from the others and looked rather nervous. If Evan had been responsible for organising transport, he would probably be nervous too.
James Potter and Sirius Black were standing close together, whispering something to each other. Evan rolled his eyes. You'd think they were attached at the hip.
Regulus was also standing with them, although he kept a much greater distance than Sirius and James. Evan stood next to him.
Neither Pandora nor Lily were there. Evan decided not to worry about it. They would arrive soon. He readjusted his quiver and stepped unsteadily from one foot to the other. He flinched slightly when Regulus tapped him on the shoulder. The shorter boy tilted his head slightly to the side.
‘Everything all right with you? You seem nervous.’
Evan grinned half-heartedly as he tried to stop his hands from fidgeting.
‘Maybe. Aren't you nervous too?’
Regulus' expression remained unchanged.
‘No. But you are. Do you want to talk about it?’
To be honest, Evan was quite surprised by this. He hadn't thought Regulus was the type to like talking about his feelings. But what did he know?
‘I'm doing fine. Just a bit nervous, that's all. But thank you.’
Regulus nodded slowly, his gaze still sceptical. But at that moment, Pandora emerged, hand in hand with Lily Evans. The two giggled slightly as they stood next to Evan and Regulus. Evan searched his sister's gaze and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Pandora just giggled and nodded her head towards her hand, which was still intertwined with Lily's. A grin began to spread across Evan's face as Pandora gave him a beaming smile. About time the two of them got together, he thought.
The conversation died down as Minerva stepped into the clearing. Evan had always thought she made a commanding impression. Centaurs were truly majestic. Minerva looked round before she began to speak.
‘My dear campers. I know you are probably nervous. But I want to thank you all for taking on this quest. It is a noble and honourable deed.’
Beside him, Regulus mumbled something, but Evan couldn't make it out. James and Sirius had started whispering again, but they fell silent as soon as they saw the look on Minerva's face. With a sigh, Minerva turned back to them all.
‘As you know, Mr Lupin here has agreed to solve the transport problem. We are all curious to see what he has planned.
All eyes immediately fell on Remus, who suddenly looked much calmer than he had a few minutes ago. He stepped confidently to Minerva's side and began to speak.
‘I've been working on a project for the last week that could improve our current situation. Please all step back a little so that there is enough space.’
They did as they were told and stepped back. Evan watched curiously as Remus opened his tool belt and pulled out five metal discs the size of coasters. He positioned the discs on the floor so that they formed a kind of arrow. Everyone looked at the floor to see what would happen. Remus now took his own distance from the discs and stood with the rest of them. James gave Remus a questioning look.
‘Err... Remus? Shouldn't maybe-’
But Remus only raised a hand, silencing Potter immediately. From the pockets of his tool belt, Remus pulled out an object that looked suspiciously like a game console. He pressed a few buttons, causing the five metal discs to light up.
Evan couldn't believe it when the discs began to enlarge. More and more metal seemed to pour out of them. He watched in amazement as the celestial bronze and mettalite wires continued to interweave and shoot upwards.
When the spectacle was over, a full-grown warship stood before them. Wires snaked along the bow, forming a kind of pattern, and a figurehead in the shape of a dragon's head was attached at the very front. Evan wasn't the only one who was shocked. Some mouths were hanging open, while even Minerva looked impressed.
Remus didn't let on as he slowly lowered a gangplank and stepped onto the ship. He looked back at them with raised eyebrows.
‘Come on, then. We don't have all evening.’
Still speechless, Evan boarded the ship with Pandora. Once everyone was on board, Remus placed the console on a pedestal where a steering wheel would normally sit. Sirius Black was the first to break the silence.
‘Remus! That's just incredible! Did you build that?’
Remus seemed to blush slightly, but a smile crept onto his face.
‘Sort of, yeah. I'd had the idea for the metal disc concept for a while, but when we needed a means of transport, I knew I had to try it.’
Sirius shook his head slowly as he looked around the ship. Evan was rather impressed. He had known that Lupin was a genius, but he had never thought he was capable of something like this. Minerva cleared her throat, causing everyone to look at her.
‘Mr Lupin, you have certainly done an outstanding job. Night has already fallen and I strongly advise you all to leave. I wish you all every success.’
With these words, she left the ship and they were on their own. Immediately they all began to speak. The chaos was interrupted when a voice rose above the crowd.
‘Everyone shut up!’
Regulus Black gestured to Remus, who gave him a relieved look. Regulus nodded to him before turning back to Evan. This guy was really unpredictable. Remus began to speak.
‘I'll launch the ship later. You all have rooms below deck. You may stay here, though. It might shake a bit, so be ready.’
No one went below deck. When Remus turned back to his console, everyone went to the railing. It did indeed shake a little, but they had all held on.
Evan watched in amazement as the ground moved further and further away from them as the massive ship took off into the sky. He had no idea how Remus had managed it. They climbed higher and higher as they slowly moved away from Camp Half-Blood.
Evan took a deep breath as the familiar hills of the camp slowly disappeared behind them.