The Missing Hope: Chapter One


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I Get a Welcoming Gift by the Monsters

Lexi woke up with a start and accidentally banged her head to the ceiling and fell to the floor. '''(She sleeps on a bunk bed in England). '''She scanned her surroundings for any monster attack whatsoever. She checked underneath her, nothing. Just her big luggage for camp. She checked the closet, just her regular things, bow and arrows hanging from the top, swords stacked and some nectar and ambrosia neatly piled up. She wasn’t her old self anymore. She wasn’t a big supermodel for Harrods. She was just a demigod. Then, there was a knock on her bedroom door-her mom called: “Lexi, are you alright? I heard noises from downstairs.”

“Yeah, mom. I’m alright. Just a little bit overwhelmed again,” Lexi answered.

“Well, breakfast is ready in five minutes. Come down when you’re ready. You don’t want to miss your flight back to camp,” her mom said in her sweet British accent.

“Sure, mom.” Lexi was excited to go back to camp that she prepared most of her stuff-well, maybe not the teddy bears from last Christmas. She couldn’t wait to see her brother again. It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen him, she thought, ''What would he look like now? Well, maybe a little much taller and still cute. Alright, she must be really'' dazed from the pain from her head. She changed into her camp shirt and jeans with her flying shoes on and went downstairs to see her mom making strawberry pancakes and prepared a lovely strawberry breakfast- strawberry fruit, strawberry juice, strawberry pancakes, strawberry waffles, strawberry biscuit, basically anything strawberry (she has an addiction to strawberries).

She ate her meal quietly, which was unlikely of her, and thought about what Hestia said back in her dream. Her mom finally had the guts to ask, “Is everything alright, sweetheart?”

“Yeah. Everything’s okay,” Lexi answered half-heartedly. She knew her mom could see that everything wasn’t alright. “I know you’re going to miss it here, but look on the bright side. You’re seeing your brother again. I know this is tough on you, believe me. It is your dreams again?”

She nodded.

“What happened, dear?” her mom asked. Lexi couldn’t hide things from her mom, especially her dreams, so she told her everything she saw and her mom listened tentatively. When Lexi finished, her mom cheered her up looked to bright side like she always did. She’s a really happy mom to her.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“Alright, now. Finish up your breakfast and go get your things. We’re going to the airport as soon as I get changed. Chiron will most likely be in the airport in an hour or so,” her mom said.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">Lexi rushed in eating and went upstairs to finish packing. She also brought her anti-metal detector that she made for the airport inspection. Like what Chiron taught her, she manipulated the Mist and made sure her weapons were baseball bats and other regular things except rifles or guns to get her out of trouble. She was done packing her things and went out of the room. Before doing so, she made a last look of her room like she wasn’t going to see it for a really long time. She put her luggage in the trunk of her mom’s vintage Bentley and rode in. Her mom drove the car and they set off to the airport. Lexi and her mom made their last goodbyes and she went inside the airplane.

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center">'''<span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">OxXxO '''

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">So far, no attacks from the flight. As she got off the plane and inside the airport, she already saw the Delphi Strawberry Service Van with Argus on the wheels and Chiron waiting just outside. Lexi knew Chiron wasn’t the hugger type but she just hugged him anyway.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“Welcome back, Lexi. I see no monsters have attacked you?” he asked.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“So far, none actually. It’s kinda weird, by the way. I see that the Seven arrived safely,” she answered.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“Very well, let’s go inside,” he said.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">They went inside and Argus drove off to Camp Half-Blood.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“It’s seriously good to be back. The Kindly Ones were in England, but they weren’t attacking or anything,” she said during the trip, “Is Vanilla alright? Like, did he run away or anything? Sorry. I’m just really, really excited to go back.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“I see. Vanilla is alright, but he did run away knowing that the camp was going to be attacked.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">They were having a lovely time inside the van as nothing attacked them. Suddenly, Lexi’s senses were tingling. “I... I sense something, Chiron.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“What is it?” he asked.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">I gasped as I saw a Colchis Bull going towards the bus. “I’m guessing that is the surprise party from the monsters?”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“This is not good,” Chiron agreed.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“ARGUS! Step on it!” Lexi commanded, “I’m going out!”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“Don’t be hasty, Lexi,” Chiron reminded her.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“Don’t worry; I’ve got Medea’s Strawberry scented SPF 50, 000 sunscreen on me just in case any on this would've happen,” Lexi assured him and went out of the van with her whistle with her

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;"> She pressed the middle button and the whistle transformed into a two and a half feet long double-edged faintly glowing Celestial Bronze sword with a pink and strawberry designed hilt and her name in Ancient Greek on the cross guard of the hilt. She charged at the bull and decapitated its front legs. She pressed the middle button again and it transformed back into a whistle and she blew the whistle as hard as she could. The whistle gave off a really annoying noise that made the bull go crazy. It was Lexi’s chance to go and run back to the van.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“Go, GO! My whistle noise won’t last that long!” Lexi said.

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center">'''<span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">OxXxO '''

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">The bull followed them and they were just in time because they were already at Camp Half-Blood Hill.''' '''

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">“Run for it!” Lexi yelled.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">All of them got out of the van and went inside the borders where the bull couldn't get to them. The campers found out about it and attacked the bull. When the attack was finished, Lexi fainted out of exhaustion.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">Her last words: “Goodie... Campers... I’m fainting...”