Page 32 of The Wild Zone

The pegasus nickered as if to say About time and then followed Travis into the stable.

I studied Benny. “You sure you’re okay? You going to be able to, uh, get back on the horse?”

He laughed. “I actually like horses. I don’t even mind heights. It’s the falling I’m not into.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Connor said. “And when you’re in the sky, you get a great view for miles in every direction.”

His eyes gleamed like he really did love flying. I remembered Hermes was the god of travelers—basically anyone who moved around a lot. I imagined the Stoll brothers knew every inch of the camp, every secret path, and all the best shortcuts to get from one place to another, which gave me an idea.

“What about the Wild Zone?” I asked. “Can you see that from above?”

Connor arched an eyebrow. “How do you know about the Wild Zone?”

Benny looked at me with a silent warning. He winced like he had an ice cream headache.

“Just rumors,” I said. “And, you know, Clarisse threatening to throw me in there and let monsters eat me if I get out of line again.”

Connor snickered. “That checks out. And no, you can’t see anything of the Wild Zone from the air. The tree canopy’s too thick. You’d have to go into the Zone on foot. And as I’m sure you know, that’s against the rules big-time.”

He grinned, leaning toward Benny conspiratorially. “You sure you didn’t wander somewhere you shouldn’t have when you were breaking curfew last night? You can tell me.”

Benny snorted. “Do I look like that much of a rule-breaker to you?”

Connor’s smile faded. “Sadly, no. But there’s always hope. I’m just saying, if someone did have the guts to go into the Zone, there are rumors about more than monsters in there. I’ve heard gossip about treasures—valuable, magic, forbidden stuff.” He looked from Benny to me. “Any information about the Zone…let’s just say that could earn you a lot of credits at the camp store, which we happen to run.”

The sapphire ring weighed heavily in my pocket. I remembered the fissure Grant and I had found, and how we’d been about to search it for more goodies when the thing in the trees ran us off.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.

Connor glanced back and forth between Benny and me. I was pretty sure he knew we were hiding something. He just wasn’t sure what.

“Well,” he said, “you’ll get a look at the border of the Wild Zone tomorrow night, anyway.”

I tilted my head. “Why is that?”

“The cabin-versus-cabin baton race,” Connor said. “The race goes right through the forest!”

With that, Connor went to join his brother in the stables, leaving me alone with Benny.

I clenched my fists. “They’re really going to allow a night race through the woods? After what happened to Grant? That isn’t safe!”

Benny cleared his throat. “This camp is a lot of things, but safe isn’t the first word that comes to mind. You know we fight with actual weapons and train on rock walls that spew lava, right?”

“I know, but…the Wild Zone is different. After what we saw? You don’t believe Grant just left camp on his own, do you?”

Benny frowned. He’d never shared what had happened to him last night, but I remembered how badly his hands had been burned before they’d miraculously healed.

“Maybe this is good,” he said. “With so many people in the forest, maybe someone will come across Grant.”

I really wanted to believe him. I just hoped Grant would be alive when he was found.

7

I Make a Promise I Can’t Keep

All the world’s weapons seemed to be stocked in the Camp Half-Blood armory, which was impressive, since it wasn’t much bigger than a garden shed. After lunch, I’d decided to check out the selection like Beckendorf suggested. I could’ve spent hours going through the swords, spears, and shields, but it didn’t take me long to spot the scythe.

It was hanging on a peg on the back wall behind a row of spears, almost as if someone had tried to put it behind bars. I managed to pull it out from its spear prison. The pole and blade were pristine, like no one had ever dared to use it. The weight of the weapon didn’t bother me, but it felt unwieldy in my grip, comically top-heavy.