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Chapter 18: Visiting my Asshole Relatives

Marcy’s POV

I’d passed out right after my captors dissolved us into the shadows. I woke up now lying in a tent with another one of the other prisoners they’d taken and my hands tied behind my back.

“Uuuuuuuuugggghhhhhhh,” was about all the sound I could get out at first.

“Oh,” my new friend said, “You’re awake.”

It took some doing, but I sat up. I looked over at the other prisoner. He was what I guessed to be a pretty average camper. He was about fifteen, same as me, wore a filthy and tattered camp shirt and jeans that looked like they’d actually been ripped as opposed to the kind you buy with wear on them (I never understood the point of those) and his hands were tied the same as mine. He had buzz-cut brown hair, a very slight tan, brown eyes and I guessed that if we were standing he’d be about two inches taller than me (five ten).

“Who are you?” I asked the first of many questions on my mind.

“My name’s Dylan,” he said, “Son of Ceres. You’re that new girl, right? Daughter of Neptune?”

“Yeah,” I said, “I’m Marcy. Where are we?”

“To be honest,” Dylan said, looking around the tent, “I’m not entirely sure. We’ve got to be in their base camp, but I have no idea where that is.”

“Were you awake when they brought us in?” I asked, still trying to figure something, anything, out for sure.

“No,” Dylan said, “Passed out mid shadow travel.”

“Shadow travel?” I was just plain confused now.

“It’s how we got here,” Dylan was being remarkably patient with my ignorance, “They must have been decedents of Pluto to be able to do it. Probably how they pushed up their time table by a couple days too.”

“How long have we been here?” I asked.

“My best guess,” Dylan thought for a moment, “About a day and a half. Any more Questions?”

“Just one,” I said, “What do they want with us?”

“I’m not sure,” Dylan looked troubled now, “Maybe we’re hostages, maybe they plan to interrogate us, maybe both. There’re lots of reasons to take prisoners in a war.”

“That’s encouraging,” I said, my voice full of fake humor.

We sat there for a while, sometimes in silence, sometimes talking about nothing just to pass the time.

Then one of the guards that I guess had been standing just outside the tent ducked in and pointed to me, “You,” she said, “Come with me.”

I thought about refusing, but I guessed they wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. At least this way I had some eye candy on the way to wherever I was being hauled off to. Evil fiftieth cousin or not, this girl looked good in her armor.

After walking for about two minutes through a bustling military encampment that was like the other side of whatever coin Camp Jupiter was on, we arrived at what was obviously the command tent. What else could it be? It was about three times as big as most of the other tents.

My escort shoved me inside while she stayed back.

“Ah,” I heard a voice from the back of the tent, “I’ve been expecting you.”

Albion stepped forward, wearing simple black jeans and shirt, stygian iron sword hanging at his left side.

“You,” I spat, “What do you want?” I wasn’t normally so combative in any conversation, but this guy had pushed a little too far.

“Calm down now, Marcella,” I shuddered when he used my real name, “I just want to talk for a while.”

“About what,” I asked, “What could you possibly want to talk to me about?”

“Just that we should be on the same side,” he said, “I wanted to see if I could get you to see it my way.”

I searched for an answer while trying to keep my poker face. I don’t know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t that.

“What do you mean?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral this time, trying to make sure I’d get a straight answer by appearing interested.

“Well, it’s just that, as a daughter of Neptune,” Albion began, “Those barbarians back there aren’t exactly you’re biggest fans. They’ve shunned children of Neptune for centuries, do you really think that they’re attitude will change permanently because of one big hero who turned out to be Greek anyway?”

I thought of my friends, of Amy, Dave, and Kat, especially Kat, and he was right, they were fine with me, but I had gotten a few dirty looks. But at the same time, he was wrong. He was wrong because my friends were okay with me and that was a good start. However, epiphany or no, I had to deal with this situation.

“No deal,” I said, I could’ve tried pretending to accept, but I wasn’t that good of a liar, “But as long as I’m here, what is your problem anyway? And how’d you know my name and parentage”

“Oh,” Albion smiled wickedly, “You expect me to do the whole laying out of my plan thing, or whatever? That’s cute. As for what I know, well, I’m sure you’ve noticed your probatio tablet has gone missing.”

That explained at least one thing.

“Now,” Albion said, his tone growing colder, “Unless you happen to reconsider in the next few seconds, I think we’re done here.”

“Sorry,” I said, “I’m not really a fan of taking offers from people that kidnap me and then leave my hands tied up.”

“Well then,” he said, “We’re done here. Guard!”

The guard that had escorted me earlier ducked back in.

“Take her back to the tent she was in before,” Albion ordered, “And prepare for a potential rescue, I can’t think they’d let their soldiers be prisoners for long.”

Description
Chapter 18: Visiting my Asshole Relatives

Marcy’s POV

I’d passed out right after my captors dissolved us into the shadows. I woke up now lying in a tent with another one of the other prisoners they’d taken and my hands tied behind my back.

“Uuuuuuuuugggghhhhhhh,” was about all the sound I could get out at first.

“Oh,” my new friend said, “You’re awake.”

It took some doing, but I sat up. I looked over at the other prisoner. He was what I guessed to be a pretty average camper. He was about fifteen, same as me, wore a filthy and tattered camp shirt and jeans that looked like they’d actually been ripped as opposed to the kind you buy with wear on them (I never understood the point of those) and his hands were tied the same as mine. He had buzz-cut brown hair, a very slight tan, brown eyes and I guessed that if we were standing he’d be about two inches taller than me (five ten).

“Who are you?” I asked the first of many questions on my mind.

“My name’s Dylan,” he said, “Son of Ceres. You’re that new girl, right? Daughter of Neptune?”

“Yeah,” I said, “I’m Marcy. Where are we?”

“To be honest,” Dylan said, looking around the tent, “I’m not entirely sure. We’ve got to be in their base camp, but I have no idea where that is.”

“Were you awake when they brought us in?” I asked, still trying to figure something, anything, out for sure.

“No,” Dylan said, “Passed out mid shadow travel.”

“Shadow travel?” I was just plain confused now.

“It’s how we got here,” Dylan was being remarkably patient with my ignorance, “They must have been decedents of Pluto to be able to do it. Probably how they pushed up their time table by a couple days too.”

“How long have we been here?” I asked.

“My best guess,” Dylan thought for a moment, “About a day and a half. Any more Questions?”

“Just one,” I said, “What do they want with us?”

“I’m not sure,” Dylan looked troubled now, “Maybe we’re hostages, maybe they plan to interrogate us, maybe both. There’re lots of reasons to take prisoners in a war.”

“That’s encouraging,” I said, my voice full of fake humor.

We sat there for a while, sometimes in silence, sometimes talking about nothing just to pass the time.

Then one of the guards that I guess had been standing just outside the tent ducked in and pointed to me, “You,” she said, “Come with me.”

I thought about refusing, but I guessed they wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. At least this way I had some eye candy on the way to wherever I was being hauled off to. Evil fiftieth cousin or not, this girl looked good in her armor.

After walking for about two minutes through a bustling military encampment that was like the other side of whatever coin Camp Jupiter was on, we arrived at what was obviously the command tent. What else could it be? It was about three times as big as most of the other tents.

My escort shoved me inside while she stayed back.

“Ah,” I heard a voice from the back of the tent, “I’ve been expecting you.”

Albion stepped forward, wearing simple black jeans and shirt, stygian iron sword hanging at his left side.

“You,” I spat, “What do you want?” I wasn’t normally so combative in any conversation, but this guy had pushed a little too far.

“Calm down now, Marcella,” I shuddered when he used my real name, “I just want to talk for a while.”

“About what,” I asked, “What could you possibly want to talk to me about?”

“Just that we should be on the same side,” he said, “I wanted to see if I could get you to see it my way.”

I searched for an answer while trying to keep my poker face. I don’t know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t that.

“What do you mean?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral this time, trying to make sure I’d get a straight answer by appearing interested.

“Well, it’s just that, as a daughter of Neptune,” Albion began, “Those barbarians back there aren’t exactly you’re biggest fans. They’ve shunned children of Neptune for centuries, do you really think that they’re attitude will change permanently because of one big hero who turned out to be Greek anyway?”

I thought of my friends, of Amy, Dave, and Kat, especially Kat, and he was right, they were fine with me, but I had gotten a few dirty looks. But at the same time, he was wrong. He was wrong because my friends were okay with me and that was a good start. However, epiphany or no, I had to deal with this situation.

“No deal,” I said, I could’ve tried pretending to accept, but I wasn’t that good of a liar, “But as long as I’m here, what is your problem anyway? And how’d you know my name and parentage”

“Oh,” Albion smiled wickedly, “You expect me to do the whole laying out of my plan thing, or whatever? That’s cute. As for what I know, well, I’m sure you’ve noticed your probatio tablet has gone missing.”

That explained at least one thing.

“Now,” Albion said, his tone growing colder, “Unless you happen to reconsider in the next few seconds, I think we’re done here.”

“Sorry,” I said, “I’m not really a fan of taking offers from people that kidnap me and then leave my hands tied up.”

“Well then,” he said, “We’re done here. Guard!”

The guard that had escorted me earlier ducked back in.

“Take her back to the tent she was in before,” Albion ordered, “And prepare for a potential rescue, I can’t think they’d let their soldiers be prisoners for long.”