Trip to Olympus: Chapter 9

Wow, finally! I actually have the next chapter written! I took me two weeks to write something that should've taken a hour. I would have finished it earlier, but I had homework and a small writer's block. Anyways, I know that this chapter is short, but it's important and needs to be that way. Hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 9: I Recieve a Task
    Well, let me just say that getting claimed by Poseidon wasn’t as exciting as it may sound. Sure, it was pretty cool, but it was also a tad awkward having just about the whole camp practically bowing down to me. I’m not someone who wants that sort of attention. I really hoped that people wouldn’t start doing that every time they saw me. Celestina sent a camper to go tell Chiron what happened and that I had been claimed, and I was officially put into cabin three. I had already seen the cabins earlier that day, so I didn’t have any trouble finding the cabin. I walked over to it, entered, and plopped myself down on the nearest bunk. I hadn’t even realized that I was so tired until I fell asleep. The only thing that I noticed about the cabin was the smell of the sea.



    That night I had a dream. I was in a place that I recognized almost instantly even though I had only been there once before. It was the coral city from my fourth grade incident. Suddenly, the event was clear to me as to how it happened. I was the daughter of Poseidon. He had brought me here when I was ten. I knew that there was a reason that my dad showed me this place so long ago, but I didn’t know the reason yet. Then the scene shifted to a place that I knew almost better than any other place in the world: the woods behind my neighborhood in Ohio. I was standing by the creek in the woods. The trees were all a lush green. The creek was gurgling softly. I wished I was actually there at the moment. My dream self’s thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

“You have always been very close to me, my dear. You never knew it, but you were. I know how much you love this place. If you wish to keep it safe, then you must help me,” the voice said. It sounded like a woman’s voice. I looked around. There was no one there.

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

“You must come to this very place. You must help one of my children,” the voice answered.

“Why me? Why not someone else?” I asked.

“You are a very special girl, my dear. You are the only one who can do this,” the voice replied.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Great <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, I thought, just great.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“You do not need to do this task right away. I will tell you when it is time,” the voice said, “You may leave now.” The scene faded and I woke up.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">    The whole day was normal. Well, as normal as you can get at a camp for demigods. I didn’t tell anyone about my dream. It didn’t really seem important. I went through all of the activities. I was glad that I wasn’t attacked by any monsters. It made the day a whole lot easier. When there was some free time, Austin and I went to the sword arena. I walked in and was immediately knocked by a large, furry, black mass. At first I thought I was being attacked again and that I was going to die, but then the thing started licking me. I could hear Austin laughing off to the side.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Will you stop laughing and get this thing off me?” I called.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Mrs. O’Leary, off,” he told the thing. It moved and I could finally see again. I got up off the ground. In front of me was the largest dog I had ever seen. It had to be at least the size of a pick-up truck.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“That is one big dog,” I said. Austin laughed.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Mrs. O’Leary is a hellhound. Same as the thing that attacked you last night. The difference is Mrs. O’Leary is the world’s only friendly hellhound,” Austin told me.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Does she jump on top of everybody?” I asked.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Yeah, pretty much. She probably smelled the sea on you though and thought you were Percy,” he replied.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Who’s Percy?” I asked. Wow, I thought, I’ve never asked so many questions in my life.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“You’ll meet him later,” he answered, “So do you want to practice or do you want to spend the whole time asking questions?”

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Let’s practice,” I replied.