ALL RIGHTS TO THE CHARACTERS (except Celeste, she's mine) BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN.

Chapter 5 - Carter

Carter was in the middle of teaching some of his initiates when a headache came over him and his knees buckled.

Several of the kids ran up to him and called for help.

In his head, a familiar voice was talking. "Carter. I need you. Now."

Carter was having a hard time processing who was talking in his mind, and it took him a while to figure it out.

Suddenly, his younger sister, Sadie, came rushing in. Normally, she would be yelling at Carter or calling him names, but when Carter was hurt, she was immediately the most caring sister in the world.

"Grab his legs! Someone get Jaz! Healing magicians! Hurry!" Sadie yelled to the initiates.

Carter wanted to protest that he was fine, but his vision started to blur and fade.

While fading out of consciousness, Carter realized who had been talking in his mind.

Percy.

Percy needed him. He didn't know why Percy needed him, but he remembered drawing the Eye of Horus onto the other boy's hand and saying to call him in an emergency.

It must've been an emergency.

Then, a curtain of black entered Carter's vision and he blacked out.

•••

He woke up in his bed with Sadie by him.

"Hey idiot." She said in her normal teasing tone.

Carter smiled. "Nice to see you too Sadie."

"Zia's worried about you, you know. Jaz wouldn't let her see you though. She said you needed to rest. Of course, now Zia's mad and Walt..or Anubis...oh you get what I mean. He's calming her down."

Carter nodded, his heart beating faster at the fact that Zia was worrying about him.

"So what happened? Why'd you pass out?" Sadie asked.

Carter thought for a moment. He knew why he had fainted, but he didn't know how to explain. He couldn't tell them about Percy. They had promised each other not to tell anyone about each other.

"No idea. A headache just came over me." Carter said. It wasn't completely a lie because Carter had had no idea that the headache was coming.

Sadie gave him a look of annoyance. "Alright." She sighed, standing up. "Well, I'm going to teach your initiates until you feel better."

Carter began to protest. "Sadie, I'm fine."

But just as he said it, a wave of nausea hit him and he sank back into the bed, groaning.

Sadie rushed to his side and felt his forehead. She drew back immediately. "Gods of Egypt, Carter, you're burning up."

Carter chuckled slightly. "I'm fine. I have to go somewhere, someone needs me."

He tried to get up but his sister shoved him right back down. "Oh no you don't. No one is that important over your health. You need to rest."

"Sadie-" Carter protested.

"Rest. Or I'll use binding magic on you." Sadie threatened.

Carter sighed.

Suddenly, Zia ran into the room, panting.

"Zia? What's wrong?" Sadie asked.

"It's Walt. He's not looking too good." Zia explained.

Sadie whitened and then cursed under her breath. "Watch Carter and make sure he doesn't go anywhere."

Zia nodded and Sadie bolted out of the room.

"What's wrong with Walt?" Carter asked.

Zia turned to him and gave him a half-hearted smile. "It's not really Walt. It's Anubis. Something's wrong with him. And if something's wrong with him, then something's wrong with Walt."

"But what is it? What's so powerful that could make a god sick?" Carter asked.

Zia sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "No idea. He just collapsed with no explanation. Kind of like your headache....Carter, please tell me you don't have a god in you."

Carter laughed without humor. "Yeah right. Like I would want to do that."

Zia put up her hands in surrender. "Okay. I'm just asking."

"Carter!" Percy's voice rang in Carter's head again, making him grab his head tightly.

Zia rushed to him quickly. "Carter!? What's wrong? What is it?"

"Nothing." Carter gritted through his teeth, silently begging Percy to shut up.

"This obviously isn't nothing Carter. What is it? You can tell me." Zia said with heavy concern in her voice.

Carter looked up into her eyes and instantly regretted it. His heart did a backflip as she looked at him.

"Zia, um...I have to go somewhere." Carter mumbled, again trying to get out of bed.

Zia shoved him down with an angry look on her face. "Carter, stop being stupid. I know you tried to pull the same thing with Sadie, but it's not going to work on me. What is so important anyway?"

Carter winced at her harsh tone. He thought of Percy, whatever danger he was in, thinking that Carter had abandoned him. Carter had to get to where Percy was.

He didn't know exactly where Percy's camp was, but for some reason, after he got his headache, the location of Percy appeared in his mind.

"Carter? Answer me!" Zia demanded.

"I can't tell you! You just have to trust me!" Carter yelled, fighting the nausea that hit him once more.

Zia closed her eyes and sighed. "Carter." She exhaled. "If I let you go, you might get hurt and I know your sister will kill me."

"Zia, I'll be fine. Really. This headache will go away soon, it's nothing, but I have to go. It's important." Carter pleaded.

Zia narrowed her eyes and turned around.

"What are you doing?" Carter asked.

"If you leave now, I'll say I turned my back for one second and you were gone. We never had this conversation." Zia said, her back still turned.

Carter smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"I'm turning around." Zia warned.

Carter quickly grabbed a jacket and ran out the door.

He could see the room in which Sadie and Walt were in. Walt was lying in a bed, his face pale and gaunt. Sadie was by his side, squeezing his hand and crying.

In that moment, Carter hesitated to leave. If he left, Sadie might worry about him. He didn't want to put so much stress on his little sister, but he had to find out what Percy needed.

Sighing, Carter snuck through the front door unnoticed and whistled for his pet, Freak.

Freak came flying down, dragging the carriage that Carter always rode in.

Climbing in the carriage, Carter called out to Freak, "Long Island. And fast."

"FREAK!!" Freak screeched and he flew away, dragging Carter behind with him.