Chapter 11 I Chuck Things at Other Things
I Chuck Things at Other Things
My dreams that night were…Is trashtastic a word? In the worst of them, I destroyed my house with a scythe, prompting Olivia to challenge me to a duel with pickles. I lost because I ate mine in under a minute. Then Dad and Mom, who’d been watching the match, left in disgust.
No hidden meanings there.
When I woke, the cabin was still in darkness. Around me, my cabinmates were muttering, whimpering, and even fighting in their sleep. I wondered if Ares kids ever had sweet dreams.
I rolled over and stared out the window next to my bunk, trying to formulate a plan as the rising sun colored the sky a sleepy pink.
Argus had said the baton race would start in the forest at a place called Zeus’s Fist. I didn’t know where that was, but I figured if I were the first runner for Ares cabin, I would start deep in the woods.
After I handed off the baton to the next runner, I’d have time to look around the Wild Zone.
Or if I weren’t picked for the race at all, I might be able to wander off and explore without anyone noticing.
What I didn’t want was to be stuck on the later legs of the relay, with no opportunity to sneak away.
I needed to know more about the route and the rules, and to position myself in the best spot.
That meant I needed to talk to Clarisse.
I sat up and glanced at her bunk. It was already empty and made.
On the off chance she was showering—and because I needed one anyway—I got up as quietly as I could and headed to the bathhouse.
Clarisse wasn’t there either, but I was pretty sure the stall next to mine was being used by a naiad singing scales (the musical kind, not the fish kind).
I did my best to out-sing her with some of Hate Faction’s thrash lullabies.
Clarisse didn’t show up until roll call. When she did, she had this distant look in her eyes. The only time she seemed present was when Silena called Grant’s name. Clarisse shot Silena a warning look and then returned to her horizon-gazing.
At breakfast, I tried to get Clarisse’s attention, but since she was seated at the far end of the table, she either couldn’t hear me or was pretending she couldn’t.
I didn’t exactly want to broadcast my question to the whole table, so I waited until the end of the meal to try again.
Before I could even open my mouth, she pointed toward the archery range.
“Work on your shooting skills,” she said. “I heard you embarrassed us yesterday.”
“But—”
“Do you want more KP time?”
“No,” I said. “I wanted to talk to you about the baton race.”
“Clarisse!” called a voice from across the pavilion. I turned to see Silas standing with a group of counselors, all wearing concerned expressions. Silas gestured for Clarisse to join them. “A word?”
My skin prickled.
Was Silas going to confront her about the hazing incident in the Wild Zone? Had he already ratted me out to the other counselors?
But no…Silas wasn’t the type to call someone out in front of other people, and I couldn’t believe he would betray me….
Clarisse sighed and strode away.
I lingered awkwardly, hoping to eavesdrop on their conversation, but Silas spoke so quietly that I finally gave up and headed to the archery range.
My spirits lifted slightly when I saw Harper in the mix. Maybe I could get him to help me charm Clarisse into letting me lead off the baton race.
As I approached, I noticed he was talking to a tall brick wall of a guy with short brown hair and burn scars on both arms. I’d seen him yesterday while I was at the forge. Shane, I think his name was.
“You need a taller bow,” Shane was telling Harper.
“Oh, do I?” Harper laughed a little too hard. When Shane didn’t join in, Harper added, “Get it? Like b-e-a-u? I need a taller…” He clamped his lips together. “Never mind. Thank you for your guidance.” He accepted the bow Shane offered.
I cringed on Harper’s behalf. I was used to being awkward, but there was something unsettling about seeing an Aphrodite kid fail so badly at flirting. I made my way toward him, but Shane intercepted me.
“Katie, right?” he said. “Let’s get you set up over there.”
He led me toward the far end of the archery range. I glanced over my shoulder at Harper, who was now gazing at the sky and muttering to himself.
“Have you ever used a bow before?” Shane asked.
“I held one yesterday, if that counts.”
Shane smirked. “Not really.” He handed me a spare bow, grabbed an arrow from the stand, and showed me how to nock it. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
I drew the bowstring back and released. The arrow. Onto the ground at my feet.
“Whoops!” I picked it up and tried again. This time, the bowstring twanged off my arm, and the arrow skidded into the dirt a few feet in front of me.
Shane should have thrown his hands in the air and called me hopeless—the usual routine for anyone who tried to help me—but instead, he said, “You’re trying too hard.”
I barked a laugh but quickly stifled it. “Sorry. Nobody’s ever accused me of that. Usually, it’s the opposite.”
He smiled. “Well, I’m saying it now. It looks like you’re putting all your strength behind that bow draw—like you’re hoping to send your arrow to the moon. For now, just get it to the target.”
“I’ll try,” I said with a sigh. I nocked another arrow and felt Shane’s eyes on me. “If you could not watch, that would be great.”
Shane shook his head. “Sorry, but I can’t help you improve otherwise.”
I clenched my jaw and drew back the bowstring.
“Rotate your bow arm or you’ll get another string slap,” he said, and I adjusted. “Good. Now keep your draw arm steady and just relax your fingers. Let physics do the rest.”
The bowstring twanged free of my grip and the arrow rocketed off toward another target that wasn’t mine. I winced, but Shane applauded.
“Good start!” he said.
“Really?” I smiled at him. From the other end of the firing line, I caught Harper smiling at Shane, too—although mine was appreciative while Harper’s looked more…adoring. It was cute to see him crushing, even if it came with a vibe of Aw. Look at how patient Shane is with Katie’s incompetence!
And indeed, Shane continued to be patient while I continued to disappoint. Yes, I could shoot an arrow, but it never landed anywhere near the target. After about the tenth try, I dropped the bow, grabbed the arrow like a giant dart, and hurled it at the target.
It hit the bull’s-eye dead center.
The archers on either side of me lowered their bows and gawked. Shane even stumbled back a step.
“Whoa,” he said. “We’ve got you using the wrong weapon.”
And that was how I ended up on the javelin range.
Clarisse was our instructor, which gave me what seemed like the perfect chance to talk to her, but after Shane had me demonstrate my throwing skills, she said, “I’m not needed here,” and left to help someone else.
“I’m pretty sure that’s the closest thing she’s ever given to a compliment,” Shane said, and he headed back to the archery range.
A few feet to my right, Zuri was also practicing with a javelin. Judging from her scowl, she didn’t seem to be enjoying herself. She was already so amazing with a bow, I supposed practicing with a different missile weapon probably felt like a waste of time.
I sidled up next to her as she halfheartedly chucked her javelin, leaving it dangling from a straw dummy’s thigh. “Hey, Zuri, you remember about the baton race tonight, right?”
She didn’t seem to hear me. She kept scowling and mumbling to herself: “These wings are more than simple feathers…. They’re the hope and promise of a life untethered.”
I tilted my head. “Huh?”
Zuri finally focused on me. “Oh, sorry. I’m working on a rewrite of one of our Icarus Two songs. The early reviews were not good.”
“Yikes. Sorry.”
She snorted. “Hey, at least some of the campers bothered to write reviews. They got more down on paper than I’ve been able to write lately.”
“Really? I thought Apollo kids had an ever-flowing fountain of inspiration.”
“Well, mine seems to have dried up.” Zuri sighed.
“Anyway, I’m not taking the musical’s reviews personally.
Those songs were written long before I came to camp.
According to the audience feedback, they sound like they were written decades before.
” At a questioning look from me, she added, “Apparently, someone in the Apollo cabin is fanning hard over early 2000s pop rock.”
I snickered. “What?”
“You know NSYNC’s ‘Bye Bye Bye’? We have a song called ‘Fly Fly Fly.’ ”
I snort-laughed. “Nooo!”
“It’s bad bad bad.”
We both cracked up.
I tapped my hangul pendant. “I guess people could say I’m the same way with K-pop, since it’s all I listen to. Gotta represent.”
Zuri nodded approvingly. “Anyway, what were you saying about the baton race?”
I dropped my voice. “I’m going to search for Grant then. I could use your help.”
If anyone could shine a light in the dark, it would be her.
Zuri frowned. “I thought we agreed to wait until KP tonight to make a decision.”
My heart sank at her less-than-enthusiastic response.
I thought about Silas’s grim-faced conversation with the counselors this morning, the flood of memories I’d seen when I wore the ring, and that mysterious note telling me to go back.
“Yeah, but…I can’t wait that long. It’s hard to explain, but I feel like Grant may be running out of time. There’s something bad in that forest.”
Zuri nodded, her expression darkening. “I know that’s true. But…Look, I can’t promise, Katie. You’re going to have to trust me that if I say I need to do something else tonight, it’s important.”
I had trouble imagining what could be more important than finding Grant.
Honestly, I was a little irritated with Zuri for being so evasive.
On the other hand, I felt like she was trying to be as honest with me as she could.
If she was keeping secrets…well, I wasn’t exactly being an open book with her, either.
“Got it,” I said, trying to keep my tone light. “Well, if you decide—”