Chapter 183: Swear on the River Styx
That night, after dinner, they were preparing to the game of capture the flag between the Hunters and the campers. It was going to be a small game: only thirteen Hunters, including Bianca di Angelo, and about the same number of campers. Surprisingly, Drako and Thalia were going to play in the campers' team.
Zoë didn't want to let Drako play in the game, but they had an 'interesting' conversation, and she finally let him in.
We have to move back after the talk between Drako and Silena that afternoon.
After talking to Silena, Drako left the stable and walked with no objective in mind.
Down at the archery fields, Chiron was conducting target practice. Drako remembered that the centaur wanted to talk to him in private, and wondered when was going to be the best time for that. Obviously, right now wasn't the moment since he was teaching some of the demigods.
Drako sensed a familiar aura, the aura of a dragon. He looked at the top of Half-Blood Hill, where Dionysus and Argus were feeding a baby dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece.
Drako thought of approaching them but decided otherwise when he recalled the nasty personality of the God.
Finally, Drako decided to go to Artemis Cabin, where the Hunters were waiting.
Artemis' cabin is a silver building that glows at night as if reflecting the moon's rays. During the day, it looks like a regular cabin. It's decorated with the paintings and carvings of wild animals, mostly de stag.
Once he got there, Drako heard screams coming from inside.
Both voices were familiar to him, as they came from Thalia and Zoë. They were discussing the game that night.
"I said you can't!" Zoë shouted.
"If you do not let me fight with the other demigods, then this will not be considered a game, but a humiliation," Thalia replied.
"And what if we humiliate them? It's their fault for being so weak."
Drako put two and two together and understood what the main focus of the discussion was.
Apparently, Thalia understood the difference between the Hunters and the demigods, so she had asked to play on the opposing team. Obviously, Zoë had refused.
"Are you so blinded by your anger at Chiron for not letting you look for Artemis that you want to humiliate some children? Don't you have any shame inside your body? Not being able to help Artemis is tearing you apart inside?" Thalia slowly raised her voice. "Answer me, Zoë Nightshade!"
Slap!
Bang!
Drako rushed into the cabin when he heard someone has already raised her hand.
When he entered, he saw Thalia lying on the floor. She was very close to the wall, Drako had noticed that her body had hit the wall from the noise he had heard earlier. A few feet away was Zoë, watching her with eyes full of fury.
Drako understood her anger. Thalia's words had hit hard inside Zoë, she had been too cold to the lieutenant.
Thalia rose from the floor. On her face was the mark of Zoë's palm, and blood streamed from the corner of her lips.
"Bitch," Thalia cursed.
Zoë looked like she was going to hit her again.
"Stop it," Drako intervened. "Are you fools? What the hell are you doing, fighting each other at a time like this? Is this what Artemis taught you?"
Zoë hesitated a bit, but finally backed off. She then turned to look at Drako. "What are you doing here?"
"What's the matter? Can't I be with my mates?" Drako said with a smile.
Zoë gritted her teeth hard. It didn't seem that Drako's words had pleased her very much.
Drako wiped the smile off his face.
"I've come to talk about your nightmare," Drako said seriously.
Zoë frowned, "How do you know about that?"
Drako shrugged. "A goat told me."
Zoë raised an eyebrow, but then she stopped looking at Drako. "It's none of your business, get out of here."
"You're wrong," Drako folded his arms. "If Artemis is in danger, I want to help her as much as you do. Like it or not, we're both Hunters. Since I joined, I'm willing to risk my life for either of you, even if most of you hate my existence."
Zoë looked at Drako out of the corner of her eye. Drako understood instantly that Zoë did not believe his words. She must have been disappointed by some man in the past, causing her to be this way.
"Prove it," Zoë said. "You and Thalia will fight beside the demigods. If you beat us, then I will believe your words."
"What if we lose?" Drako asked. It wasn't going to be that easy.
"Leave the Hunters, and never come near us again."
Zoë seemed pretty sure of herself when she said this.
A light smile appeared on Drako's face.
"I accept, but I'm putting in two new conditions. First, you have to tell me about your dream. The second, you have to obey one of my orders, yes or yes."
Zoë hesitated for a single moment, but she finally nodded.
"Swear it for the River Styx," Zoë said.
Thalia and the rest of the Hunters were alarmed when they heard that.
"I swear on the River Styx that I'm going to leave the Hunters if I lose in the Capture de Flag," Drako didn't doubt at any moment.
"Now, is your turn."
"I swear on the River Styx that I'm going to trust Drako's words, I will tell him about my dream, and I will obey one of his orders."
They both took their oaths without hesitation. Now, there was no turning back.
Drako and Thalia left the cabin, there was no point in staying there any longer.
"What are you doing!" shouted Thalia.
Drako looked at her in confusion. "What? It's just an oath."
"No, it's not just an oath. It's an oath on the River Styx. The greatest oath that can be taken. Even the greatest gods won't be spared if they break it. What were you thinking?"
"What if I break the promise?"
"Something worse than death."
"Then I just have to win."
...............................
Returning to that night.
Drako didn't think much of this promise. Just as Zoë did not doubt her victory, neither did Drako.
He was 200% certain he could defeat the slayer group with his strength alone. Besides, he had the help of Percy, Thalia, and ten other demigods.
Zoë looked really upset right now. She kept glancing resentfully at Chiron like she couldn't believe he was making her do this. The other Hunters didn't look too happy, either.
Unlike last night, they weren't laughing or joking around. They just huddled together in the dining pavilion, whispering nervously to each other as they strapped on their armour. Some of them even looked like they'd been crying. It seems Zoë had told them about her nightmare.
On Drako's team, they had three Hephaestus guys, a few from Ares cabin, the twin brothers and Nico from Hermes cabin, and a few Aphrodite kids. It was weird that the Aphrodite cabin wanted to play. Thalia explained to Drako that they usually sat on the sidelines, chattes, and checked their reflections in the river and stuff. Still, when they heard we were fighting the Hunter, they were raring to go.
And their leader wasn't other than that girl.
"I'll show them 'love is worthless,'" Silena Beauregard grumbled as she strapped on her armour. "I'll pulverize them!"
That left Percy, Thalia and Drako.
"I'll take the offence," Thalia volunteered. "You take defence."
"Oh."
Percy was hesitating.
"Don't you think with your shield and all, you'd be a better defence?"
Thalia already had the fake Aegis on her arm, and even their own teammates were giving her a wide berth, trying not to cower before the bronze head of Medusa.
"Well, I thought it would make better offence," Thalia said. "Besides, you've had more practice at defence."
Percy wasn't sure if Thalia was teasing him. He'd had some pretty bad experiences with the defence on capture de flag. In his first year, Annabeth had put him out as a bait, and he'd almost been gored to death with spears and killed by a hellhound.
"Yeah, no problem," He lied.
"Wait, wait," Drako stopped both them. "Why don't you go both on the offence? I can pretty much handle the defence alone."
"Oh, I thought that you can help me on the offence…" Thalia said. "But that is cool too."
Percy nodded with his head, smiling with gratitude.
Thalia turned to help some of the Aphrodite kids, who were having trouble suiting up their armour without breaking their nails.
Drako noted a little kid running towards him with a big grin on his face.
"Drako, this is awesome!" His blue-feathered bronze helmet was falling in his eyes, and his breastplate was about six sizes too big. Drako wondered if there was any way in which he looked more ridiculous.
By the way, Drako was still wearing the same outfit that he was using when he left home. He had obviously washed it, so there was no problem with it.
Nico lifted his sword with effort. "Do we get to kill the other team?"
"Well… no."
"But the Hunters are immortal, right?"
"That's only if they don't fall in battle. Besides—"
"It would be awesome if we just, like, resurrected as soon as we were killed, so we could keep fighting, and—"
"Nico, this is serious. Real swords. These can hurt."
He stared at Drako, a little disappointed, and he realized that he'd just sounded like a mother.
Drako patted Nico on the shoulder. "Hey, look at me later. I will show you something amazing. And remember, stay out of Zoë's way."
Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor.
"Heroes!" he called. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team—Camp Half-Blood—shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis—red team—shall take the east woods. I will serve as the referee and the battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!"
"Sweet," Nico whispered next to Drako. "What kind of magic items? Do I get one?"
Drako was starting to lose patience when Thalia said, "Blue team! Follow me!"
In his insides, Drako was talking to Nico.
"Hey, Nico, I don't want my kids to be as annoying as you are."
At least, he had some conscience and didn't say that on his face.
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