1 Chapter 1: Why walk when you can shadow travel? (Dyrk)

Thinking back on it now, shadow traveling first would have saved us quite a bit of time. But usually traveling long distances via shadow traveling can be draining. My name is Dyrk Nýchta and at the moment, my twin sister and I were debating on our best route to Camp Half Blood. We were eighteen about to be nineteen soon when we were asked by Hermes to deliver a package to Camp Half Blood.

It was a magic box that contained numerous phones, after Apollo was turned back into a god he made it his mission to make phones safe for demigods. He teamed with Hepheastes, the two made it their personal mission to make sure phones would be safe for demigods. In return we were given one phone each for ourselves. "You don't think these are prototypes do you?" Izora asked me as she studied the device in her hand. It looked like a normal Motorola phone, but the moment we turned it on we were greeted byHepheastes' symbol first, Apollo's second, then a small message saying to be responsible with them.

"Doubtful," I replied as I continued to set my phone up. At the moment the two of us were sitting in a motel 6 room; in Texas. We had managed to travel from California to Texas by various different means.

"Holy Thanatos!" Izora exclaimed, pulling my attention from my phone. "Thalia said that Hermes gave Artemis a similar package for her huntresses." She smiled at the thought of her and her best friend being able to communicate despite no longer being a part of Artemis' hunt. Before you ask, Izora and I weren't officially a huntress and hunter. She and I would join our dear friends whenever our paths would cross.

We had met Artemis when we were seventeen years old and after a week with her and her huntresses we found we enjoyed their company. Artemis was questionable about allowing me of all people to be around her or her huntress. I assured her that I wouldn't be a problem, but she made sure to test me first. To some things up, she no longer looked at me as a perverted teenage boy; but instead an older brother trying to look out for his little sister. From that day forward she welcomed us both into her hunt whenever we were around, she went as far as offering us both a spot in her hunt but I declined as well as Izora.

My phone vibrated, shaking me from my thoughts. I looked down and saw I was now a part of a group chat consisting of my dear sister, Thalia Grace, and Reyna Avila Ramírez-arellano. The four of us had formed quite the friendship; and when it came time for us to leave we each thought of some way we could write to each other. Thalia and Izora had grown quite close while Reyna and I bonded trying to reign them in. At first she saw me as a nuisance and thought the same as Artemis did. But after being paired with her by Artemis she and I found out that we had quite a bit in common.

"You'd think now that we have phones the gods would call their kids more often," Izora said, interrupting my thoughts. I glanced at her and smiled crookedly. The two of us shared similar thoughts on the deities of Olympus but many times such simple answers could fix their dilemmas. Yet it seemed they'd preferably take drastic approaches and make their problems much worse.

"You really think the gods could ever learn how to use a phone?" Izora looked up from her phone and looked at me confused. "I hate to break it to you dear sister, but you can't teach an old dog new tricks… Especially when they don't want to be taught." Izora hooted with laughter while a small smile found its way upon my lips.

"It's getting dark and I'm getting tired of walking. Let's shadow travel the rest of the way to New York." Izora suggested as she checked the time on her phone then stuffed it back into her pocket. I followed suit then scratched at the small white bandage patch under my left eye.

"Alright but you're charm-speaking the clerk." I quickly announced. The last time I had to charm-speak the clerk I found myself being constantly eyed by them. To most that isn't bad but for me I like my privacy with not silent eyes watching me.

Izora smirked as she too scratched a similar bandage under her right eye. "Alright but if I end up with a sweet and you end up with…"

My eyes went wide with a mix of embarrassment and slight anger. "We're not having a repeat of Vegas," I quickly replied. Izora grinned deviously, causing me to narrow my eyes at her and seeth. We grabbed our backpacks and the box we were given; then quickly made our way outside. It took us a moment but eventually we found a big enough shadow. We joined hands then focused on a location in New York; The Hampton Hotel and fell backward into our shadows. On both sides of us were nothing but cold black shadows. All around us we could hear whispers from past memories; begging for us to spare just the smallest amount of attention to them.

Finally, we reappeared into an alleyway next to the hotel and were immediately hit with exhaustion. "W-why does shadow traveling, have...have to be so tiring?" I demanded as I used a nearby wall for support. I looked over to my younger sister and found she was just as dumbfounded as myself.

Izora shrugged. "It might...be a long-distance thing." I nodded in agreement. We then attempted to use the walls as props to keep us from falling down; as we made our way out of the alley. Once we were out we did our best to walk through the doors and found ourselves in the lobby. The lobby wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be. The moment you walked in, the receptionist's desk was on your right while the dining area was on the left. The floors were a nice polished wood, some of which was covered by a red and gold throw rug.

Izora walked over to the nearest desk which had a smiling pretty boy standing behind. He looked like those smiling people you see on commercials that try to convince you the product is useful. He had that perfect tan, a smile that could blind you if you looked at it too long, and curly blond hair. I glanced at his name tag which read," Chad." Chad welcomed us and gave us your standard hotel hospitality.

Izora flashed a flirty smile and managed to get Chad to not only give us a room but to delete the records of it. After doing so he told us to enjoy our stay. We thanked him then hurried to the nearest elevator before the charm speak could wear off. Once in the elevator, Izora slumped against the wall. "For as long as we have been doing this it doesn't get any easier."

"Lets just be happy that we have a room and can rest soon," I replied as I leaned on the elevator wall. Izora nodded in agreement as the elevator came to a stop. We got out of the elevator then found our room; 307. Once inside it was a pretty basic routine. Lock, latch and put the chain lock on the door so people can't walk in on us. No tv, the noise would just attract people to our room. Then came the part where Izora would call dibs on using the bath first. While she did this I plopped onto the nearest bed and decided to text Apollo, why; because why not.

Dyrk: Hey…

Apollo: Hey where are you two?

Dyrk: Shadow traveled to The Hampton in New York. Izora called dibs on the shower and I'm bored.

Apollo: Nice they got really amazing breakfast smoothies. I totally recommend the berry one over the mango smoothie though dX

Dyrk: alright, but has, "you know who" heard anything about us?

Apollo: Not yet, but tell me when you get to camp. I need to talk to BOTH of you.

Dyrk: Look, it was just a prank. (-_-)

Apollo: A prank?

Dyrk: I mean mine was done with good intentions, but I'm not sure about the other two though.

Apollo: I have no idea what you're talking about

Dyrk: Oh….

Apollo: What was that about a prank (?_?)

Dyrk: What prank?

Apollo: Dyrk

Dyrk: Dyrk: Got to go Izora got out of the bathroom. See you later!

Apollo: DYRK!

I began to laugh to myself as Apollo attempted to call me but "mysteriously" I didn't answer. Izora really didn't get out of the shower so this was my chance to relax and scroll through the music on my Spotify list. After deciding to just listen to my favors I plugged in my headphones and shut my eyes as I allowed my thoughts to drift wherever they wanted. The first song my Spotify played was Remember Me by Machinae Supremacy; I liked the song but it made me think about a certain individual. Someone I recently got close with, someone who accepted me, flaws and all.

I could feel a cloud of sadness forming over me. I wanted to shadow travel to that person and spend as much time as possible with them. Yet I knew better, there was a part of me that told me not to be so childish. "Soon," I mumbled aloud. "Soon we'll see each other." The same came and went but as the second song cued up and began to play I felt someone tap my arm. I opened my eyes and found Izora drying her hair. She had changed to an old black hoodie and matching shorts. I always told her not to wear such short shorts but no she said they were "comfortable". I made a mental note to keep an eye out for any perverted males at camp.

"Alrighy dracula," Izora yawned as she tossed her towel onto the counter. "I'm going to get some rest." She flopped herself onto the second bed and immediately hid under the blankets. "Don't…don't drink anyone's blood if you decide to go for a walk." Izora jokingly yawned. Her eyes flustered for a moment before closing.

I sighed as I stood up, picked up her towel, then hung it over the towel rack. I began debating if I myself should shower then relax or go for a jog first. Instead I went to the Hotel's Fitness center and started a small work out. I alternated between lifting dumb bells, running on the treadmill, and doing crunches. I didn't realize how much time I had spent there and by the time I checked my phone I found it was already three am. I sighed as I left the fitness center and began to make my way back to our room. Once there I showered, changed into a fresh pair of jeans then went to sleep myself.

Now I know we demigods have nightmares for dreams but I'm not sure if we're supposed to have recurring dreams. Every night since I and Izora have been on the run, I've been having the same nightmare over and over. Every night I find myself in a dark cave, blindly walking around trying to find my way. The air is always hazy and seems thick, causing every breath I take to be labored or strained. Every night I walk through the cave, some kind of pulling sensation calling to me, whispering for me to find the source.

I know from experience what it's like to deal with different types of dead spirits, but this one, this one felt different. It felt ancient, like an old soul that was calling out; no demanding to be heard. Every time I feel like I'm getting close I wake up shaking and sweating. If the dream is an omen of what's to come then I for one know that this is going to be horrible. I sighed as I closed my eyes again and wrapped my blankets around me. I was greeted with yet another nightmare but this one had always haunted me; for good reason. At least that's what I told myself every time I had that same nightmare.