File one Katarina’s journey to past and future

I wake up because somebody *cough, cough* Kat kicks me. I growl, open my eye and look cranky at her. She looks back at me, “Moons out”. Immediately I feel awake, in minutes I maybe am a boy again. No more guys who flirt with me, underestimate me and no more holding back the urges to punch everybody because of those things. Céva walks the cave, “I prepared everything for the ritual, are you ready Percy”: she says. Words I don’t have to hear twice. I try to get up but my legs are still asleep so I fall down again. Céva giggles and Kat helps me up, “Come on tiger time to change back in a boy”: she says smiling. “Céva is there something I can do?”: Kat asks. Céva whispers something to Kat, who nods while Céva is saying things. “I can do that”: she says and gets her quiver and bow. Why would she need those. Outside everything looks ritual like and smell like herbs. There is also a circle with an arrow attached to it on the ground made from flowers. “Percy please lie down in the circle”: says Céva I walk into the circle and lie down. As soon as I lie Céva nods at Kat who loads her bow with five arrows and points at me. Before I can even say something Kat releases the arrows which pin me to the ground. “You could have killed me”: I shout. “I never miss”: she says lightly and sits down next to Céva. I try to break free but I can’t, just like Clarisse and the other Ares boy couldn’t back at camp but how is this possible. “Percy stay still I pinned you to the ground because it’s part of the ritual”: Kat says and Céva nods. I stop and start looking at the stars and the moon instead. Céva mixes some things in a bowl and comes over to me. She dips her fingers in the bowl and with the stuff sticking on her fingers she draws something on my forehead. She walks back to Kat and sits down again. Kat and Céva make a small fire and throw some food in it after that Céva starts to speak in some ancient language, I don’t know. After a few words Céva’s eyes light up like bright white lights it looks kind of creepy. The more Céva says the weirder I feel. The fire is spreading over the flower circle I lay in, the fire also spreads over the arrow attached to the circle. Now I am surrounded by fire and it starts to feel like I am on fire too but from the inside out. Intense pain spreads through my body like my bones are on fire. Céva’s talking becomes louder and the pain gets worse. When I can’t hold it in anymore I scream first it sounds high and girly but slowly it changes to something more deep. “Percy”: I hear Kat say but the pain reaches my head and I blackout.

“Is this how he supposed to look?”: I hear someone asking. “Yep but is he okay I mean he has been out for a while now”: says Kat. “Worried about me he”: I say. “Thank the gods he can joke again”. I want to sit up but I can’t. “Sorry Céva said it was better to let you pinned to the floor until you woke up”: Kat says. “It seemed the most safe”: Céva says. “It’s okay but Kat why can’t I break free I mean they are only arrows”. “I don’t know they always do that. The arrows stay in until I pull them out and they are practically unbreakable”: she explains. “It’s because you are a Huntress in training, it’s some sort of failsafe to protect you”: Céva says. “If you say so”: mumbles Kat and pulls out the arrows around me. “Did it actually worked?”: I ask just to be sure. “Yep you’re back to being ugly”: Kat says, I hit her on her shoulder and she laughs. “Let’s get some sleep so we can go further tomorrow”: I mumble. Kat nods, yawns and walks back in Céva’s cave. “You two can also use the tunnel lady Artemis used, it’s a one week walk only the pegasi probably won’t like it underground but its saver than flying”: Céva tells me. “Sound like a good plan”: I say, meanwhile we arrived at the cave where Kat already lies asleep. “Good night Percy”: Céva says and wants walks away. “You too and Céva thank you for all your help”: I say as I lie down. “No worries I like helping the few guest I get”: she says with a smile and walks away.

When I wake up the sun is already shining. “What time is it?”: I ask Céva quite because Kat is still asleep. “Around eight in the morning. Want some breakfast?”: Céva says and points at the table, how is filled with plates with food. “Sure”, I get up and take a seat but when I look at Kat I change my mind. “We should have breakfast all together”: I say and walk over to Kat. I take her shoulder and shake her like I did before, “Wake up sleepy head”. Kat smiles and opens her eyes, “It is a miracle you have to wake me up”: is all she says. “Just awake and already making fun of me great”: I mumble. “Thanks buddy”: she says and messes up my hair by getting her hand through it. “For what”, “Waking me for breakfast ofcours”. Céva giggles soft and the three of us eat breakfast together. “Katarina I didn’t want to dishonour your privacy but I filled you backpack with food for the rest of your trip”: says Céva carefully. “You don’t dishonour me Céva, its really nice you did that. This journey is taking way longer than I thought, so there was actually no food left. Well except the two cans of coke Percy has with him”. “What how do you know I have coke with me?”: I ask. “That’s a question that probably stays unanswered”: says Kat and winks at me. I sigh and roll my eyes. “Well time to go I guess”: I say. “Ofcours, Céva thanks for everything and especially for fixing Percy”. “It was my pleasure helping such a powerful demigod and a Huntress in training”: she says and bows a little. “Come here”: Kat says and hugs Céva who is overwhelmed first but hugs Kat back after that. Blackjack and Brody are walking into the cave. “Hey boss when are we leaving again”: Blackjack asks. “Good you ask we leave now through that tunnel”. “No not underground”: Brody mumbles. Kat who let go of Céva walks to Brody. “It will be okay boy”: she tells him and pets him. “You heard him?”: I ask. “No but you can see he doesn’t like the plan we have”. “Boss she is really smart really like a Huntress”: Blackjack says again. “Are you ready Kat”. “Yep let’s go, come on Brody everything will be fine”: she says and with Brody next to her she walks into the tunnel. “Bye Céva”: is the last thing she says before she disappears into the dark. “Bye Céva”: I say and run after Kat followed by Blackjack.

Four days later
“Boss please tell me we are almost there I need to get out of here”: says Blackjack desperate. “Kat do you know if we are still on track?”: I ask her. “Well it’s hard to navigate through the dark but there have been no forks in the road so we couldn’t have taken a wrong turn”: she answers. ”You heard it Blackjack”. He snorts and turns his head away from me. As if it was meant to be the tunnel suddenly lights up and at the end of the lights is a fork existing of three options. “You got to be kidding me”: mumbles Kat. “Wait I know this tunnel”: I say after looking at them a few seconds. “Really you have been in underground tunnels before”: she says sarcastically. “Yes when I was 15 I went into the labyrinth of Daedalus with a few of my friends on a quest”: I tell her. “You went into Daedalus his maze and this looks like it”. “Yep that’s what I say”. “Okay then you go first”: she says and steps aside I walk forward followed by Blackjack. I pick the left tunnel because it looks like the tunnel that led us to Pan. Kat and Brody follow us, after a while the lights stop and we are back into the dark. “Boss I smell something”: says Blackjack after a while, “I smell it too”: says Brody and snorts. “What is it boy”: Kat whispers, “They say they smell something”: I whisper back. Why we suddenly whispering I don’t know. Kat walks forward so she is next to me now. “If they smell something it can’t be good”: she says and get her bow ready which gives a bit of a silver glow. I take out Riptide and carefully we walk further. The tunnel we walk through gets wider every step we take which is kind of od. Kat takes a step towards me, “I think I hear something coming from the tunnel”: she whispers to me. “Yeah Boss its sounds like people”: says Blackjack. “Weird why would there be people in this tunnels?”: I ask myself out loud. “Let check it out”: Kat answers. Somehow this seems familiar but from where. We walk further and the tunnel makes a left turn at the end of the turn is some sort of room. The room is light by a few lanterns hanging on the walls. Kat walks further the room in. “Percy there is another tunnel lets go”, she points at the tunnel entrance. Kat walks to the new tunnel and turns to me to see if I follow which I do. She looks at me and her eyes become huge like she is in shock. “Percy ru”: more she can’t say because somebody comes out the tunnel and grabs her. I set a step towards her and feel a blow against my head then everything turns black.