Days of Boom: Chapter 41

 Nolan Swift XLI Setting Things in Motion

It really was just like old times as Megan and I headed for the mess hall. I would want to run into the mess hall and take on the world; Megan would hold me back and come up with strategies that wouldn’t involve us having to face off against every member of Burning Sun within a three mile radius. We eventually found ourselves hiding out behind the Hermes cabin getting a view of the situation.

“Alright, it looks like there are guards standing at each of the entrances, as well as several guards patrolling the outside to prevent anyone from getting inside,” Megan said as she watched another patrol pass by. “Not to mention there are several guards in the camp’s patrol towers so we can’t risk using an open field.”

“I love it when you talk strategy,” I told her, but she just rolled her eyes.

“Anyway…any ideas on how we can get inside and get the campers out without being seen?” Megan asked. It was a good question that I really didn’t have an answer to until I remembered which cabin we were currently hiding behind.

“I think I do, follow me,” I told her and we walked to the back of the Hermes cabin and I started feeling around the wall.

“What are you doing?” Megan asked, obviously wondering how the Hermes cabin could offer anything that could help.

“Just give me a second; it should be right around…” I started to say before lifting up a loose plank of wood and grabbing a handle, causing a small portion of the back wall to fold down. It wasn’t that big of a hole, but it was big enough for someone to slip in and out of. “Here...”

“Ok, that can’t be part of the original design of the cabin,” Megan said, giving me a suspicious look.

“The Hermes cabin was always a fan of pranks. They needed to find a new way out after Dionysus put a charm on all the doors that turned whoever walked through them at night into dolphins,” I explained.

“Wasn’t that after one of the Hermes campers covered Mr. D in rotten fish?” Megan asked, but I didn’t look her in the eyes. She noticed this and crossed her arms as she gave me an analyzing look. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that would you?”

“Of course not; I mean what kind of camper would do that to the great Dionysus? I mean it isn’t like he caused grape vines to wrap around my feet for a week every time I stepped outside, just for saying I didn’t like his shirt,” I said, still not looking at Megan.

“Nolan!” Megan yelled at me, but I quickly placed my hand over her mouth and looked around to make sure we hadn’t drawn any attention to us. She calmed down, even if her face still looked a little red as she shot me daggers. She pulled my hand from her mouth and took in a few deep breaths. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused the rest of camp with that stunt? Dionysus didn’t account for day-light savings one year and the entire Ares cabin ended up turning into dolphins.”

“How did I miss that?” I asked her.

“You didn’t, you were laughing hysterically the entire time as the Hephaestus had to make a canal from the cabin to the lake until Dionysus got the energy to turn them back,” Megan said. I thought back and actually did remember it now that she mentioned it.

“Oh ya, that was pretty funny,” I said, letting out a small chuckle.

“Focus,” she quietly yelled at me. “We have campers to save.”

“Right, this way,” I said as I lead her inside the cabin and I closed the panel behind us. I walked over the bunk used by the cabin leader and pushed it to the side. I then looked at the floor and lifted up another panel, revealing a tunnel that went under the cabin.

“How long has this been here?” Megan asked, finding out all kinds of secrets about the Hermes cabin. Each Hermes camper knew about these passages, but they were normally sworn never to reveal it to outsiders.

“For as long as I can remember. We would use this passage to sneak into the mess hall afterhours and get some free dessert. We can use this to get in and out and no one will see us,” I told her with a smile. Her anger seemed to fade as she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a big kiss on the cheek.

“You’re a genius!” she half yelled.

“I know, now come on as we have some campers to save,” I told her with a smile.

We climbed down into the dark tunnel, but some torches on the wall lit up as we walked. The Hephaestus cabin had made them years ago, giving the torches motion sensors so they could tell when someone entered the cave; which was a nice touch. Before long we reached a small ladder leading upward.

“It should be right above us,” I told her and she started climbing ahead of me. I followed right behind her and watched as she opened the panel into the mess hall. She leaped out and turned around, grabbing my hand and helping me up. When I looked around, I saw dozens of campers with some kind of collar around their necks. Their hands were also wrapped up in plastic handcuffs, preventing them from moving their hands very much. When we entered the room, all eyes turned to us.

“Don’t worry everyone, we’re here to help,” Megan said as she started examining the collars while I went around and started cutting some of the campers free using a steak knife left on one of the tables.

“What are these things?” I asked, looking at the collars around everyone’s necks.

“They’re power suppression colors. They seem to prevent us from using any kind of demigod powers,” one of the kids said.

“Here, let me see,” Megan said, taking a good long look at it. She traced her fingers around the edge and found a small spot for a key hole and her face dropped a bit. “It needs a key and I don’t think I can pick it.”

“Here, let me take a look,” I said as I traced my fingers across the lock. I grabbed a fork off the table and started poking at the lock with it. Hermes was the god of thieves so picking locks was like second nature to me…even if it was one of a talent I rarely used for obvious reasons. I started with the Hephaestus campers, who branched out and used their power over machinery to control the locks in the collars and before long they all fell to the floor. “That should just about do it.”

“Ok everyone, head into the tunnel and we’ll regroup in the Hermes cabin, but be quiet,” she warned and everyone began climbing down the ladder into the tunnel. Megan followed soon after and I was just about to drop down too, but I stopped for a second. I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I walked over to one of the tables and grabbed a single slice of pie that was left in the hall. I took it and tossed it into the fire that burned in the mess hall.

“I’m not sure if anyone is listening, but if anyone can give us a little help, I wouldn’t be against it,” I said as I walked away from the fire, the smell of apple pie seemed to fill the air, but it slowly faded as I climbed into the tunnel and closed the wooden panel behind me. Before long everyone was in the Hermes cabin, which wasn’t much better than being cramped in the mess hall, but at least now they weren’t tied up anymore.

“Ok, here is the plan,” Megan said, grabbing a small notepad off one of the dressers and drawing a quick layout of the camp. “We’re right here. If everything went well for Dan and El, then the demigods they set free should be regrouping around the canoe lake here. What we are going to do is head for the armory and retrieve everyone’s weapons before joining them at the lake. From there, we will divide into smaller groups and retake the camp. Any questions?”

“I have a question,” one of the kids in back said, raising his hand. A few of the campers parted to let him through and he walked to the front. He was a lot younger than the other campers in the room, but he had a very mature look in his eyes that was almost too intense. I could tell right away from his dark hair and eyes, as well as his pale skin that he was most likely a child of Hades. “You expect us to make it from here to the armory without anyone seeing us? How do you expect us to achieve that as I’m sure someone will notice fifty demigods grabbing up weapons.”

“I’m glad you asked,” I said from my spot against the wall. I looked out the windows and saw storm clouds forming over the camp and the sound of a loud engine revving in the distance. “We are getting a little help from above.”

Just then I saw several small bolts of lightning fall from the sky and hit several of the watchtowers, causing Bunnies Sun members to jump for their life and roll around on the ground to put the fires out. I went to the back of the cabin and opened up the small panel. I escorted each camper out one at a time and they headed for the armory.

“Stick to the plan,” Megan said before closing the panel to the cabin. She then turned to me and grabbed my hand. “Everyone is out; let’s hurry up and get those weapons.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” came a voice I knew all too well as it sent a shiver down my spine.

“I will have to agree,” came another voice; deeper but just as menacing. I turned around before instinctively pulling out Road Maker and staring down Diane and Silver. The campers seemed to freeze in fear as they looked at them; obviously they had fought before and from the way we found them in the mess hall, they had lost badly.

“Keep going,” I told the campers and then I turned to Megan. “That means you too. Someone has to make sure they’ll be okay.”

Megan looked into my eyes and I hoped she didn’t see the fear in them. I had faced these two other times before on the quest and each time they had gotten the better of me. I knew I couldn’t beat them, but if I could do something that would allow someone else to succeed, I’d be happy with that. Because of that, I would hold them off as long as I could and hope that the weapons would reach the forces gathering at the lake. Or at least that was my idea, but Megan seemed to have a different idea.

“If you think I’m just going to roll over and listen to you then you have another thing coming Mr. Swift,” Megan said, poking me in the chest with her finger every time she said a word. “I’m the one that makes the plans in this relationship and I saw we are going to fight them together and we are going to kick their butts all the way to the Underworld or even Tartarus if we have to; you got that?”

“Yup, got it,” I told her as my fear of Diane and Silver seemed to leave me as at this moment I was more afraid of what Megan would do to me if I argued with her.

“Um…we’re still here,” Diane said, tapping her foot on the ground.

“Good, I have a score to settle with you,” Megan replied as she tapped her silver bracelets and two short swords appeared in her hands. She then looked at the two and gave them what looked like her fiercest death glare. “Let’s do this.”

I sure did love my wife sometimes. I lifted my hammer and joined Megan in giving the two a death glare of my own, which I admit was not nearly as good.

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