I brushed the snow off my body and pushed the hair out of my face, catching my breath. I tried to process everything that had just happened.
Basically, I had been wandering in the woods, searching for anything that might help me during the quest, only to find a small boy disappearing into shadow with Brandon watching. Honestly, when he turned to look at me, I was shocked. He was taller, tanner, and much more fit. One of his eyes, normally brown, had changed color, showing off a shocking blue that seemed to be swirling in the middle of his iris. He looked like he could tear me in half with his bare hands. I felt...
...Afraid...
Afraid of what he had become and of what he might do. He didn't seem like the happy go-lucky boy who made stupid jokes and was bizarre and weird that I had met at camp. He was tense and serious, with a rather introverted aura around him. He was almost as scared as I was.
He didn't even seem that fazed when I slapped him. He just seemed sad, as if a part of him was broken inside.
I tried so hard to get him to come with me. But, he didn't want to deviate from the plan that he so desperately needed to follow. He wouldn't budge. It was like he was halfway across a tightrope, and he knew that there was no point in stopping.
But then, despite everything, he still said he loved me.
And now, it was my fault that he was on his own against an army that was crazy and out for blood.
I sighed and stared at the little golden ball in my hands. I reached into my coat pocket and brought out an identical looking globe. I remembered what he had said.
If you twist the middle, it will take you back home. Don't use it unless it's an emergency, or if you want to bail on the quest.
I looked at the bone in my hands. This was a key to Kronos's plans. If I took this to Camp Half-Blood and kept it in a secret place, then Kronos would not be able to resurrect. We would have accomplished our goal.
I could be done. I could have my life back.
But something didn't feel right. He wasn't here with me. We weren't together. Brandon was still out there, probably meeting the same fate as Jessica. I couldn't just let him die because of me. I sighed and tried to focus.
This was Brandon. He had schemes worked many steps ahead, with slight altercations in case of a disaster. He would definitely have some information in the things that I had gotten as to where he would be going, in case he ultimately failed.
I held the ball up to my face and stared at it from all angles . There was not a single clue or inscription that distinguished it from the orb that he had given me.
I looked at the rib he had given me. It was perfectly smooth, without a single blemish. It seemed like he hadn't left me a single clue as to his location. I groaned and chucked the bone into the snow. I stomped around in a circle, finally punching a tree. Again, the blue aura formed around me and the tree toppled to the ground. I stared at my right hand. No splinters.
I picked up the bone and sat on the ground, exhausted. I hadn't slept in nearly 40 hours. I closed my eyes, hands squeezing the bone, and drifted into sleep.
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I looked through half open eyes as I was dragged into a cave. I knew this place. It was another regular field trip with Linus. He always wanted me to watch the others who had disrespected him or had refused his teachings. It was a cruel place with many forms of punishment. There were so many screams and horrors coming from the inside that I usually could barely keep my eyes open. I couldn't believe that I would go there.
I sighed and closed my eyes. I turned and grabbed her by the shoulders. Don't follow me. I shook her a little. She stared at me bewildered, before disappearing.
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I awoke with a start, clutching the bone. I stared at its whiteness, and thought of my dreams.
Don't follow me, that's what he said. But I couldn't just leave him. But where to start?
After that dream, a random location popped into my mind, a place I didn't even know how to get to, but that I knew he would be at.
I got up, stretched, picked up my stuff, and headed to Atlanta.
