Ch. 5

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  "Bye Abbeline." I looked up into the sad face of Annabeth.Her stormy grey eyes were stormier than usual.I haven't even known her for that long and we were already saying goodbye.
  Well,this sucks.After رات کے کھانے, شام کا کھانا last night,I was told that I would be leaving for my quest in the morning and that I should pack.My half-siblings were giving Allen and I sad looks as we shuffled around the room,packing up all the things we would need.
  Now,I was standing on سب, سب سے اوپر of camp half-blood ہل, لندن with Nico and Allen standing اگلے to me.Chiron's lower body had been compacted into his wheelchair earlier,but he gotton out of it before we came up here. Chiron cleared his throat. 
  "Good luck on your quest. If آپ need something,children,just Iris message the camp. " 
  We all nodded and he slowly backed away. I turned around to face Nico and Allen. 
  "So, how are we going to...um,get out of here?" 
  "Well," Nico said,his hand on his sword,"We could A. Get a taxi, یا B. Call the Gray Sisters." 
  "The what?"
  "The Gray Sisters."
  "And they are...?"
  "Oh,you'll see. "
Nico walked down to the side of the road and looked both was,checking for cars. He pulled a golden drachma out of his pocket and closed his fist around it. He yelled something in ancient greek that my mind automatically translated into Stop, Chariot of Damnation!
  "Woah,Woah,Woah. Chariot of Damnation? I'd rather not."
  But Nico wasn't listening. Instead he threw his coin on the سٹریٹ, گلی and instead of just clattering to the ground it sunk in. Where the coin sunk, a large hole the size of a parking spot appeared. 
  The hole looked like it was filled suspiciously with blood. Bubbling blood. Then a car rose out of the bubbling pit. 
  Well,not car. مزید like a taxi. A grey taxi that looked like it was made from smoke. Words were printed on the side,but with my dyslexia, I couldn't read it. 
  Nico opened the door and slid in. I followed and Allen got in behind me. 
  There were three ladies in the front and when one turned around at us,my eyes widened. Her skin had a greenish tint to it and she had a mop of hair on her head. But that's not what freaked me out. 
  What freaked me out was that she had only one eye. When she spoke,it sounded like she had just gotten back from the dentist. 
  "Passage? Passage?" She mumbled. 
  Nico looked at me and Allen then shrugged. 
  "As far west as آپ can take us,I guess." Allen said,deciding for all of us. 
  The lady in the middle shot out her hand towards us and Nico and Allen started pulling eight drachmas out of each of their pockets. I reached inside mine also and pulled out eight. 
  Luckily,my mom had sent as much money and and golden drachmas as she could when she found out I was going on a quest. How she got all that money ( especially the drachmas) I'm not exactly sure. 
  When I got the money,I تقسیم, الگ کریں it all between us. The lady yanked her hand back and reached for the one on the lefts face. 
  She yanked back and the middle one shrieked,"Wasp! Gimme the toof!" تتییا, بھڑ jerked away and started to pummel the middle one. 
  "You had it last time Anger!"
  Allen sighed. "Man,this is going to be a long ride."

  Somewhere between the shrieking, almost running into things,and the hitting,I feel asleep. 
  How? I'm not exactly sure. But I did have a dream. 
   In my dream,I was standing to the side of a huge opening in the woods. A huge آگ کے, آگ pit was in the middle of the opening. A bunch of girls my age and older were dancing around the fire,throwing the arms up and spinning to the rhythm of the موسیقی that another girl was playing. 
  One girl had just thrown her arms up in the air and spun when it looked like she noticed me. She stopped spinning and her eyes widened. 
  "You." She said,pointing a tan finger at me. "You have finally come!" She ran towards me,her arms reaching out. Right as her fingertips brushed my arms,I gasped and woke up.
  I realized that my head was resting on Nico's shoulder. I sat up,embarrassed. And as I did The Gray Sisters slammed on their brakes and my face hit the back of the front seat. 
  "Here!" The driver shouted. 
  "And where's here?"
  "Oh," Allen said,"Just in...Washington."
  "Washington?"
  "Uh,yeah. State."
  I felt my mouth drop. "Washington state? Like,nine states over from New York?"
  Nico shrugged. "Yeah,why?"
  "That's how-"
  "Out!" All three of the sisters yelled. I raised my eyebrows and nudged Allen,telling him to get out. He stepped out of the car and I handed him his bag. As I handed it to him,I realized that he wasn't wearing his long trench coat. Instead he was wearing a black جیکٹ that looked like it was weighed down. When he shifted I saw something shiny wrapped around his neck and when I looked closer,I realized it was a medallion. I couldn't look anymore because Nico pushed my back a little and the sisters were screaming.
  I made a face and jumped out of the car,Nico on my heels. 
  "Those chicks are loud!" I کہا loudly. 
  "WHAT?" Allen yelled,making us all laugh. 
  My laughter was cut short because a man-more like a hobo- grabbed Allen's shoulder and we all froze. He pointed a crooked finger at the woods way on behind us. 
  "Go to the  Gingko Petrified Woods."
  I couldn't see if Allen was scared یا not because of those glasses,but I'm pretty sure that I looked like I was about to pass out. Random hobos grab your friend in the middle of the street? I'm sure آپ would be freaking out too. 
  Allen nodded and the hobo let him go,but not before winking at me. 
  "Holy-"
  "I guess we should? I mean,what's there to lose? We don't know where to go anyways."


It took us about twenty منٹ to walk all the way to the Gingko Petrified Woods. That is,after we looked on the map about four hundred times before I stormed into a store and bought one.
  I stared up at the trees. I wonder what it would be like to climb one. I quickly dismissed my ADHD and started walking into the woods. 
  "Man,there's a lot of tourists here."
  "Nico. This is a national park. It would be weird if there weren't tourists." 
  Nico stuck his tongue out at me and I did the same. Then he made a face and I-
  "Ladies,break it up. I think I found something."
  Allen was kneeling اگلے to a log. On the outside it looked like a normal log,but on the inside,there were bright blues,reds,pinks an other colors that were on the inside. 
  "What is-"
  "Petrified wood,but that's not what I'm talking about."
  Allen shifted the massive log and under neath it was a sheath of arrows. 
  "That's...weird."
  Nico leaned down to pick up the sheath,but a tanned hand snatched it up before he had a chance. Then I heard the sound of an arrow being pulled back in a bow. 
  I didn't have enough time to reach my ring before the arrow was released and shot Nico in the neck. Then Allen was shot next. 
  I twisted my ring,but it was too late. I felt the arrow hit my neck and my vision went blurry before it went black. 

***

It was hot and my wrists hurt. I opened my eyes before I realized that I was on the ground and my wrists were tied together tightly. It was dark and I could barely see. But I could see one thing. 
  A huge آگ کے, آگ was roaring only a few feet in front of me. I was leaning against a huge piece of wood. And based on the light from the آگ کے, آگ that was dancing across the other logs placed around me,it was petrified wood. 
  Just like in my dream a bunch of girls my age and older were dancing around the fire,throwing the arms up and spinning to the rhythm of the موسیقی that another girl was playing. 
  One girl had just thrown her arms up in the air and spun when it looked like she noticed me. She stopped spinning and her eyes widened.  
  She smiled slowly at me and stopped the girl that was dancing اگلے to her. It was like a chain reaction and soon enough,all the girls were staring at me. The girl who had stopped dancing first walked over to me. I looked at her clothes and all of the other girls. They were similar,plain V-neck white shirts,baggy brown pants,and brown boots that فیتا, فیتے up and have فر, سمور and the top. The jackets were looked kinda like the boots. Brown with فر, سمور on the hoods. 
  The girl stopped right in front of me and squatted. 
  "You are Abbeline, are آپ not?" I nodded and the girls eyes lit up,making her look crazy in the light. 
  "I am Alyssa,and we" she waved her hand at the other girls, "are the ایمیزون Warriors."
  I nodded again and she grinned. "You are a daughter of Apollo. Speak to us. Tell us why آپ are on our land."
  I racked my brain for information on the ایمیزون Warriors,but the only thing I came up with was that they follow Ares. And also never won a battle. Wait...Ares. I'm sure I can do something with that.
  "Oh,Alyssa,well me and my two friends-" 
  "Gah,boys. The earth should be rid of their waste of space."
  "Are on a quest for Ares-"
  "Ooh,Lord Ares! The only worthy man on earth."
  "And he told us to come through the Gingko Petrified Woods to make sure that the warriors were alright."
  Alyssa seem to take this as good news and she sprang up. 
  "Good news girls! Lord Ares has sent Abbeline to check on us!" The girls whispered excitedly to one another. Alyssa turned back to me. 
  "We are excited آپ have come."
  "That's...wonderful and all,but do آپ know what happened to my friends? The two boys that were with me."
  Alyssa wrinkled her nose at the word boys but quickly recovered. 
  "Sure. I know exactly where they are,but آپ must accept to become a warrior. Lord Ares has sent you,a blessing,and we aren't going to let آپ go."
  I stared at her. Great. Maybe mentioning that Ares sent me,wasn't a good idea anyways. But then my mind quickly came up with another one. 
  "I accept."
  "Good,but آپ must take the pledge of Ares."
  "Not until I see my friends." 
  She thought about for a سیکنڈ as she studied me. "After آپ say goodbye to your friends,we will kill the boys. And after that we would usually give آپ a change of clothes,but آپ don't need them."
  I looked down,confused. But she was right. I was wearing the same clothes that all the warriors were wearing. In a panic,I looked at my tied up hands in my lap,but my ring was still on. I heaved a sigh of relief. 
  "Ok. دکھائیں me my friends,let me say goodbye- alone and I will take the pledge of Ares."
  She scanned me again before agreeing. Alyssa pulled out a چھری and swiftly cut the ropes that were tied around my hands. She pointed to a tent about twenty feet back. 
  "Your...ah, friends are in there. آپ have five منٹ before we must kill the boys. Your five منٹ start now."
  I ran to the tent,not wanting to waste any time. I threw the tent opening aside and there they were. Cut up, and tied up to the wooden posts,but they were alive. Thankfully. I sighed with relief again and looked around for something to cut the rope with. Allen made some kind of noise and I looked at him. He wiggled his arm,causing his جیکٹ to slap against his side. There was some kinda of thud and he wiggled his arm again. 
  I squatted in front of him and opened up his jacket. Strapped to the inside was a bronze knife. I pulled it out of it's sheath and quickly cut the ropes. The both stood up and I put my hand on the tent opening. 
  "I lied to the warriors and we have about one منٹ until they come in here and make me pledge to Ares. When I open the tent,run. Run very fast. I'll explain later."
  I stared them in the eyes then quickly opened up the tent. Alyssa was standing there,the آگ کے, آگ casting scary shadows on her face.
  "You have defied Ares and the warriors. آپ must die now."
  "Uh,when do we run?" Allen asked. 
  "Now?" I said,Alyssa's glare making me widen my eyes. 
  "Good idea." Nico said,right before running into the woods. Allen quickly followed,pulling his medallion from his next. It formed into a bow and he shot an arrow. In the middle of leaving,it caught on fire,landing on one of the warriors feet. 
  I didn't have enough time to see what was happening because I twisted my ring and ran in the woods after the boys. 

Was it good? Be honest!