The Lightning Thief
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No one open!!!
you guys how long has it been. daniel. im really worried
"Woah!" I stand up with a start. That bell! I know that bell! How is it... When I was little I found that bell... In the ground, it was buried as if someone was trying to get rid of it! I dug it up and I remember putting it on my bedside table! But... I also think it disappeared the next morning... I have no clue what happened to it... I sort of.. forgot about it until now... Hey, do you think the gods have anything to do with it?"
well. there is a bell in the oracles palace like it. perhaps if we ring it...
I reach up and ring it three times. It sounded sort of creepy dinging the way it did, seeming to echo a thousand times over.
After some silence. I turn back to Ruby. " My days in the woods. Thats not a very happy story." I tell Ruby. "But it is one that needs to be told." I take a shaky breath and begin. "I was running, chasing Gwendolyn. I trip over some unseen stump. I don't know what it was, but I passed out from the fall. I woke up on the ground. I sat up and looked around. Everything was gone. Everyone was gone. Gweny, Bri-bri, mom, dad. All gone with no trace. I had to learn to live in the wild. It wasn't all that hard, because my father had taken me big-footing before. I learned to talk with animals and live off the wild. George was just a hiker who got lost. I helped him home, and he came back every day to check on me. One day he moved up to the mountains with me so I could teach him my ways. I did, and he became a close, loyal friend." I explained sadly. "The wild is my home. My save haven. My life." I say, rubbing the Earth with my finger tips. "I learned many, many things here. Plants, animals, even bugs."
thats because it was ringing a thousand times over. we no longer stood on grassy autumn leafs covered bank. we were in a magnificent gold pavilion surrounded by pearl covered bells identical to that one we saw seconds ago. in front of us was a long staircase that led to a throne upon which sat
kmae was still talking as all our eyes layed upon the oracle out of her attic upon a thickly ruby encrusted throne. majestic and superior
(the bell took us to the oracle who'll explain the prophecy i heard)
I sniff. Dust. What the... I look up and see the attic weirdness. "Yaa!" I scream at the creepy skeleton lady.
"Oh, not her again." I look distastefully at the oracle.
this is the second time im experiencing the great displeasure of meeting her
I scan my surroundings for a window. I see an old window near by. I run over and open it. I look out and see... clouds. Lots of clouds. I sniff again. Nothing. Dead air. "Thats... no good!" I shriek.
time. its frozen. the gods are becoming impatient
I break the staring contest I'm having with the oracle to stare at kmae. "What's gotten into you?"
(ugh sry guys, I gotta go, I'll be back 2morrow, bye)
"Things are unnatural here. Not good." I squeak. I start scrambling around looking for an exit.
kmae. stop. calm down we need to speak to the oracle
"Sit daughters of the gods." like puppy's we sat right there.
"I can't calm down. Too unnatural." I squeak. I let out a bear growl followed by a mole squeak. "Can't." but I stayed seated.
A day had come a soulful date
be sure to choose before its late
And while you're searching, ponder this
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
a 7 days long you'll have to look,
to recover what we took.
But past a week - the prospect's black
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back
be sure to choose before its late
And while you're searching, ponder this
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
a 7 days long you'll have to look,
to recover what we took.
But past a week - the prospect's black
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back
And the the sky went black and we were standing back on the bank...
(OMIGOSH Zaynah!!! That is amazing! Wow! DO you write poetry or something?)
(Seriously sweet creepy prophices!)
I took a breath and was glad to be in the wild again. "That was... bizarre." I say awkwardly. "Yet relieving!" I shout with a giggle. I flopped backwards and rolled around in the dirt. I exhaled. "Good to be home." I sighed.
I took a breath and was glad to be in the wild again. "That was... bizarre." I say awkwardly. "Yet relieving!" I shout with a giggle. I flopped backwards and rolled around in the dirt. I exhaled. "Good to be home." I sighed.
((awww thank you, you guys, i love writing poems and stories. it my ambition))
i see kmae giggling on the floor and i too break down in hysterical gits of snickers. of course i immediately become guilty. daniel ...daniel could be in danger now!
i see kmae giggling on the floor and i too break down in hysterical gits of snickers. of course i immediately become guilty. daniel ...daniel could be in danger now!
Meanwhile somewhere in Arizona.I walk into the house. "Hello? Anyone here?"
"Oh, hello, Maj. How's school?" I turn. I stare at the face of Debby Elenora Meter, my so-called mom, and give her a big hug.
"Hey, Deb. It's not a school, remeber? It's a camp. They don't teach English and Math."
"I know," she tells me, "but it's what I told the state. That you went to a bordingschool on a scolarship."
"Right." I say, not really caring about what the state thought I was doing year-round. "So, how're the kids doing?"
"They're doing OK. They go to St. Stephen's. It was hard on them, you know. When you left..."
"St. Stephen's?" I ask. "They're still allowed there?"
"Yes," said Debby. "When we made it clear you weren't coming back, the kids were allowed back."
Then I hear footsteps in the hall.
"Maj!" someone yells, and I turn around. "Maj's back!"
I look at the dark brown eyes of Junior.
"Hey, squirt. How's-" Before I can finish my sentence I have 8 kids around my neck.
"Junior," I ask, when I untangle myself from the mess of limbs, "Where's Kathy?"
"She was at school during lunch, but when we're meeting up at the statue to walk home, she wasn't there." Junior explains. "So I asked this guy from her class, and he said Kathy had been picked up by some woman. He said it was social services."
"Deb, I have to go." As I say it, all the kids are yelling at me that I mustn't, and that I had to stay. But I couldn't. "The woman could've been social services, but-"
"No need to explain, dear." says Debby, saving me from having to tell the kids something I don't want them to know.
I say bye to the kids, and hug Lucy one more time. I walk out the front door, and look at the plaque next to it.
D.E. Meter's Haven.The torch above it sparkles in the sunlight.
I walk down the street, turning one more time to see the only home I'd known before camp. When I reach the playground I walk to the shadows and hop in.
***
When I emerge from the shadows I find everyone laughing. I wipe my tears away. "Guys? Guys, what- Why are you laughing? It's not funny! Stop it!"
I get up off the floor and wipe my face. "Ok, you're right, Maj. We need to figure out two prophecies now. And, where have you been Maj?"
Home I think. "Nowhere." I say.
"Oh...Ok... Well anyway, let's figure out the prophecy,"A day had come a soulful date,
Be sure to choose before it's late.
And while you're searching, ponder this,
We've taken what you'll sorely miss.
A 7 days long you'll have to look,
To recover what we took.
But past a week the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.
"So, a day has come a soulful date... well... that probably means the day everyone was taken! Which was... probably today. Ok, that's settled."
"Choose? Choose what? Choose who?" I ask. "And 7 days to find what we've lost? How do we even know where to start looking?"
"Well, wait a second, remember the first prophecy... That has to tie in somehow.."Come to the place where it all began,
Retrive what has been lost,
Save what has been taken and
fix what has been torn.
Tell them all for all has been taken from them.
Maybe we go to Tartarus,But then what about that retrieve what has been lost stuff?
"What about the stuff WAS about kmae? What if it was...her... trust? Her...friendship? Her...ummm"
"Her secret." I help. "But it began at camp, didn't it? We all went to camp. We were at camp, when all Hades broke lose."
True, true.... But we bonded at Tartarus... so...hmmm
I look at Ruby. "Please? Can we just go to camp to check? It's not like distance is an issue here. We can just pop into Cabin 13..."
I looked at Maj sternly. "I know you don't want to go back to that pit, but you know we have to. Now, come on. We can figure out the rest on the way there."
"No." I say. "I'm not going back there. And you can't make me." My pocket stirrs. I retrieve Arnold, whom I had stuffed in there when I was with the kids. Another thing I don't want to tell them. "Arnold," I ask him, "not you as well? I don't want to. We could call Charon. He still owes me...."
"Maj? What's the matter? I thought there were no more secrets? Come on! Tell me!"
"I know. I'm sorry." I say. "OK. Have a seat, this might take a while."I sit on the floor and start talking.
“It started when I was two.” I say. “My mom had a boyfriend, whom I had always assumed was my dad. But he left as soon as he found out my mom was pregnant. So much for a daddy figure in my life. When Kat was born everyone was happy. When my mom got ill my aunt took care of me. Or at least that’s what she called herself. My aunt. Her name was Debby Elenora Meter. After my mom died Kat and I ended up in foster care, and eventually in Debby’s foster home. That was when I started calling her mom. ‘Cause when you’re 5 it doesn’t matter if you’re related. She’s taking care of you, so she is mom. I stayed with Debby and my family ‘til I was 15. That’s when they found me.” I look at the confused looks I get. “What? You wanted the whole story. You’re gonna get the whole story!”
“Right.” says Ruby. “Sorry.”
“They found me when I was 15.” I continued. “It wasn’t that bad at first. I mean, I went to high school; I came home, did my homework, ate, slept, and went back to school. But as the year continued I realised I was being watched. And not just the people that stared because I was a foster kid. There were other things watching me. Then Oscar took me to camp. He said it would be for the best, but I didn’t feel at home at first. I wanted to know who my dad was. So I left. And then they found me again, and told me they’d take me home. And they did. They brought me to my Father’s palace, and I spent some time there. The furies taught me how to fight, and in my spare time I played with Cerberus. It was fun, for a while, but I missed the sun. I missed seeing living people. So I wanted to go back to Camp. But they weren’t going to let me. They said I couldn’t leave, and that if I tried- they showed how serious they were by throwing my-” I sob. “I’m sorry. They threw Arnolds brother down Tartarus.”
“Hang on.” Kmae says. “You had two of those?”
“Yeah, Arnold and Olivier. But that’s why I don’t want to go back.” I say. “I mean, I left, without their approval. So, yeah... That's why I don't want to go back there."
"Well.....but thats where it all began so..."
"Wait wait wait. The 2 prophices already have it figured out!!!
A day had come a soulful date, Come to the place where it all began,
Be sure to choose before it's late. Retrieve what has been lost,
Save what has been taken
And while you're searching, ponder this,
We've taken what you'll sorely miss.
A 7 days long you'll have to look,
To recover what we took. Come to the place where it all began
But past a week the prospect's black, fix what has been torn.
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back. Tell them all for all has been taken from them.
See! If you intertwine them, you get the answers!!" I say excitedly. When they all look at me like I'm crazy, I break it down. " 'A day had come a soulful date, come to the place where it all began.' In the past of one of us, there was a soulful date. Maybe they aren't telling us were to start, they're telling us directions!! So we have to go to where the soulful date started or was created.
'Be sure to choose before it's late. Retrieve what has been lost' We have to make a big dissension some were in this quest. And we have to do it before a dead-line. By the dissension, it will determinant our retrieving.
'Save what has been taken and while you're searching, ponder this, we've taken what you'll sorely miss.' So what has been taken can be anything, BUT what we'll sorely miss. I think the stuff we are going to miss is just a teaser to prove we have to hurry.
'A 7 days long you'll have to look, to recover what we took. Come to the place where it all began.' It will take us a week to recover what they took. Whatever that is. Come to the place it ALL began. That one still confuses me. Could it be the beginning of our sorrows? The beginning of our mistakes? The beginning of our friendship? I don't know yet.
'But past a week the prospect's black, fix what has been torn.' That one isn't fully clear. Something has been torn. It could be anything. Torn balance, torn trust, torn friendship.
'Too late, it's gone, it won't come back. Tell them all for all has been taken from them.' Whats gone and won't come back doesn't have to be a material, either. This could be like the last chance to regain something before its hopeless. Tell them all? Who is them? Could be the gods, could be us, could be anyone!" I explain.
"But that leaves 3 questions. 1: WHO is this 'we'? The prophices say 'we have taken' blah blah blah. Would the oracals be taking what is dear? Who is doing all this? 2: What does this have to do with us? We are just some demi-gods. Heck, I don't even know if I'm even a demi-god! So why, is this all dumped on us? 3: What does this have to-do with the gods and Olympus? The propheces are just about us. Yet, the gods are involved some how." I say. "What do ya think?" I ask.
A day had come a soulful date, Come to the place where it all began,
Be sure to choose before it's late. Retrieve what has been lost,
Save what has been taken
And while you're searching, ponder this,
We've taken what you'll sorely miss.
A 7 days long you'll have to look,
To recover what we took. Come to the place where it all began
But past a week the prospect's black, fix what has been torn.
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back. Tell them all for all has been taken from them.
See! If you intertwine them, you get the answers!!" I say excitedly. When they all look at me like I'm crazy, I break it down. " 'A day had come a soulful date, come to the place where it all began.' In the past of one of us, there was a soulful date. Maybe they aren't telling us were to start, they're telling us directions!! So we have to go to where the soulful date started or was created.
'Be sure to choose before it's late. Retrieve what has been lost' We have to make a big dissension some were in this quest. And we have to do it before a dead-line. By the dissension, it will determinant our retrieving.
'Save what has been taken and while you're searching, ponder this, we've taken what you'll sorely miss.' So what has been taken can be anything, BUT what we'll sorely miss. I think the stuff we are going to miss is just a teaser to prove we have to hurry.
'A 7 days long you'll have to look, to recover what we took. Come to the place where it all began.' It will take us a week to recover what they took. Whatever that is. Come to the place it ALL began. That one still confuses me. Could it be the beginning of our sorrows? The beginning of our mistakes? The beginning of our friendship? I don't know yet.
'But past a week the prospect's black, fix what has been torn.' That one isn't fully clear. Something has been torn. It could be anything. Torn balance, torn trust, torn friendship.
'Too late, it's gone, it won't come back. Tell them all for all has been taken from them.' Whats gone and won't come back doesn't have to be a material, either. This could be like the last chance to regain something before its hopeless. Tell them all? Who is them? Could be the gods, could be us, could be anyone!" I explain.
"But that leaves 3 questions. 1: WHO is this 'we'? The prophices say 'we have taken' blah blah blah. Would the oracals be taking what is dear? Who is doing all this? 2: What does this have to do with us? We are just some demi-gods. Heck, I don't even know if I'm even a demi-god! So why, is this all dumped on us? 3: What does this have to-do with the gods and Olympus? The propheces are just about us. Yet, the gods are involved some how." I say. "What do ya think?" I ask.
I beam a great big grin at kmae and say, "You. Are. A. Genius."
"So, why don't we do this thing step by step, and figure the rest out on the way?"
"Wait, so we have to go to where it began, like what kmae said, something happened on a day in the past, and we need to go to that site! Sometime, somewhere, we all met, maybe we didn't even know it, but we all met somewhere and something happened...I don't know where that could be, but I do think I know the next half of the next line: Be sure to choose before its late. That must mean make sure you choose and decide the location before it is too late, or too close to the deadline! That's got to be it!"
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This is where we are starting.
"Live for today, not what was yesterday. Don't let the worries of the past or the future take over our present." I say back at Zaynah. "Wow. You sound like my dad." I say with a smile and I wipe away the tears. I stretch my legs so my toes were in the water. "This is Poseidon river. When I was younger, I read about everything. I was reading Mythology at the time, and I dragged my sisters into it. I made us all children of the gods. Gwendolyn was a daughter of Poseidon, Brianna was a daughter of Hecate, and I was a daughter of Athena. We ran around with sticks and pretended to save the day. That over there," I pointed to the ol' pine near by. "Is the Tree of Olympus. We would always eat Popsicles over there, under the tree. My mom was Aphrodite, and my dad was Zeus. When it was dinner they would say, 'We call upon the heroes to feast!' and they would ding the bell..." I trailed off in deep thought. "The bell... could be our answer." I say. I stand up and run over to the tree. I start ripping off vines and I finally see a rusty old pipe. On the top was a blue school bell. "This is it." I whisper with wide eyes.
Ruby:
I stare at kmae quietly. "kmae, I just want to know one thing, then you can continue. How did you end up living by yourself in the forest?"