Apple of Discord: Chapter 3

“Tree! Salve! Good to see you. Good news, I hope,” Grey says with a smile in his voice.

Tree Fisher is a giant of a man from Camp Jupiter, reassigned to the Austin branch of Camp Half-Blood as a part of the mutual exchange program with the Romans at the end of the last Giant War.

With a deep, booming voice and the kindness of a teddy bear, you’d never guess that he is a deadly sword fighter. You’re told he often trains with Master Da’Mon, and the two have become fast friends over the years.

Tree grimaces and tilts his bald head to one side. “It’s not good news.”

“What happened?” Grey asks.

“Topher sent word that something had happened to Master Da’Mon. He wanted me to check up on him. When I did?” Tree puffed out his cheeks and shook his head.

“It was a bloodbath. Well, no blood actually. At least two dozen mummies. It was kind of hard to be sure because there were so many body parts. I hate mummies. They swarm. No sign of Master Da’Mon, but I did find his sword in all that mess.”

Tree looks at you, grim-faced and sober. “He always has his sword. Never seen him without it. You were the last one to see him, demigod…”

Both Grey and Tree regard you in silence.

“He was acting strange right before I got pulled back into the BELCH, but that’s it. I didn’t see anyone or anything unusual,” you tell them.

“Did he say anything?” Grey asks.

“He said, ‘mistake’. That’s it, I swear!” 

“Well, it appears as though Nero sent an Egyptian solution to deal with an Egyptian problem. How unique.” Grey says.

“He’s Greek AND Egyptian,” Tree corrects.

“I’m aware. But, think about this,Tree. By attacking Master Da’mon at his home, Nero is telling us that he’ll meet us where we are, no matter the arena, no matter the combatant. He’s telling us he has an answer no matter who or what we throw at him. Brutal and clever. I’ll give him that,” Grey muses.

“Well, at least Master Da’Mon isn’t dead,” Tree says.

“How can you be certain?” Grey asks.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I found a papyrus note pinned to one of the headless mummies. Here.” Tree hands you the note through the BELCH.

“You could have opened with, Master Da’Mon has been taken. Here’s a note explaining what happened and then gotten to the gruesome bits.” Grey sounds exasperated. 

“I did start by telling you it wasn’t good news. Read the note.” Tree places an open hand over his heart. His way of saying, I’m sorry.

“It get’s worse? Great!” Grey mumbles.

“Great. We only have one piece of the Apple. That jerk is making us decide between the two?” you exclaim. “That’s just evil.”

“I hope you aren’t suggesting we fall for that trap?” Grey asks you.

“I agree with Grey. It’s a trap for sure,” Tree concurs.

“Well, we can’t let them die!” You can’t believe you are having to explain this.

Tree speaks up first. “Master Da’Mon is my best friend. I would do anything to save him.” Tree pauses to catch his breath, eyes welling up with tears.

“The Lion of Storms wouldn’t want this. He wouldn’t want Nero to have any of the Apple in trade, not even if it meant his life. He’s a warrior, and he understands more than anyone what’s at stake.”

“And I can safely say Cat feels the same. She really likes you, demigod,” Grey insists.

“Well, that’s great for both of you, I’m sure. It’s nice to know you can speak on their behalf.” Your anger rises.

“I’m not as comfortable as you two are making this decision for them. I was the last demigod to see them. AND… I feel like it’s my fault they got caught. So, I hope you’ll forgive me when I say, I’d trade all the pieces of the Apple out there to get them back!” You finish in a shout.

It’s then that you realize how exhausted you are. It’s late, and you’ve been up for almost twenty-four hours straight.

“We aren’t saying we are giving up hope of rescuing Cat and Master Da’Mon, demigod. We are cautioning against trading the Apple piece. Let’s sleep on this and reconvene in the morning,” Grey offers. 

Tree nods his head silently, then turns to you, places one hand on his heart, and gives you a nod before the BELCH closes in front of him.