The New Generation--Chapter 10: Help From a Wren

    Leia trudged through the thick mud as her friends' shoes squelched ahead of her. They had been walking for a few hours now, to no avail. Since the hellhound, there hadn't been anything exciting. This quest was definitely a bummer.

     "You alright back there?" Silena called back, stopping to turn around. Leia managed a pained smile. It was as if the mud was sucking at her shoes.

     "No," she admitted, starting to walk again. "I just thought the quest would be... cooler."

     "That's one way to put it." Silena agreed, following Sammy, who was in front of her. Leia heard some cursing as a pop rang through the air, followed by a torpid splash. Mud rained down on her.

     "I think we should stop now," Festus panted, coming up to walk beside her. "I can't take it anymore."

     "And sleep here, in the swamp?" Leia countered, not pausing to answer Festus's question. "Wouldn't be the best resting place, would it?"

     "You're right," he sighed. "I just wish that I wouldn't have to work so hard to make it through this mud."

     "Your parents made it through a lot more than that!" Silena scolded. She had stopped to listen to their conversation. "Now let's keep moving. The faster we can get past this, the sooner we can rest." Festus obediently started up again.

     Leia reached into her pocket and felt her fingers close reassuringly against her pen. If it wasn't for that, she might not have felt as heroic. Trekking through a swamp sure didn't sound much like a quest. Especially if there weren't any monsters to stop them.

     "Guys!" Sammy's excited shout made Leia's heart rise with anticipation. "I think I've found the end of the swamp!"

     She heard two sighs of relief from Bianca and Silena up front, and a loud one from Festus beside her. "Can't wait," he mumbled. "My legs feel like Jell-O."

     Leia made it up to the end of the swamp in record time, the sucking sound of the mud almost as fast as her heartbeat. When she stepped into the clearing where the sticky substance ended, she felt like cheering.

      "So... basically on our first day, we've walked to the middle of nowhere, fought a monster, and got nothing done." Silena sighed. "Sure sounds like we're going to ace this."

      "Hey, this is only our first day!" Leia exclaimed in indignation. As quest leader, she felt in charge of the group's progress. And now Silena was complaining about it.

     "Leia's right, Silena." Sammy soothed, always the peacemaker. "We still have nine days left."

     "Nine days to wander around aimlessly, trying to find a place that no one knows about?" Silena argued, her voice rising. "I wish I never went on this quest."

     "Never went on this quest?" Leia felt herself getting agitated too, but she couldn't help it. "Well, you can go back to Camp Half-Blood and save yourself!"

     "Oh, you don't want me here? Well then, why'd you--"

     "STOP!"

     This outburst stunned everyone into silence. Bianca sat, a few feet away from them, glaring at Leia and Silena. "If we argue, we are never going to succeed. A house divided against itself cannot stand! We have to get along and work together. Do you all want to die?"

     "... No." This came as a chorus from Leia and Silena.

     "Then stop arguing!"

     The two girls sat in silence like scolded dogs. Bianca took a deep breath and slung her backpack off her shoulder. "Now, let's eat a little and go to sleep. We'll talk more in the morning." Everyone reluctantly pulled out their bedrolls and lay down. In a few moments, Leia heard the serene breathing of all of her friends who were fast asleep. But she lay awake, trying to figure out whether this quest was going to succeed or not.

     "Let's keep moving, guys!" 

     Festus jumped next to Leia's bedroll as she groggily sat up, blinking the sleep from her eyes. The sun shone down, and the tall trees made dappled sunlight on the ground. A few birds chirped and twittered, their happy tunes making Leia feel optimistic. Somewhere in the night she had fallen asleep.

     "If we want to get this quest done, we have to stay on the move, right? So let's go!" Festus exclaimed, running around Leia's other three friends. She had to admit, Festus had a point.

     "I hope we can do something today," Silena groaned as she sat up, looking pointedly at Leia. "Something useful." 

     Leia bit back a retort and packed her bedroll into her backpack again. "Festus's right," she said, ignoring Silena's comment. "Let's go."

     Bianca and Sammy got up without a word, dutifully heaving their backpacks onto their shoulders and starting off, with Leia behind them. Ducking the occasional branch or sidestepping the occasional root, Leia anxiously thought about how they would find this mysterious place. Thea had been so vague... were there any directions? Any clues?

     A wind blew through the leaves, making the thinner branches shake as if they were dancing. The scene looked so peaceful Leia could almost believe that she was just taking a short hike through the forest in front of her house, and that she could come home to a delicious lunch and resume having fun with her parents. But no, they were on a quest that might kill them. Your perfect hiking trip, right?

     A bird suddenly hopped off a branch and landed on her shoulder. Startled, Leia jumped and knocked the bird onto the ground. It stood up, looking annoyed, and perched on her shoulder again. "Seriously, do you enjoy being knocked to the ground?"

     "Wait... what?" Her belated reaction was almost funny, but the talking bird shocked her too much. Who was this?

     "Yes, I'm a talking bird." He fluttered his wings and hopped a little. Leia could swear he rolled his eyes. "Lots of people comment on that! 'Oh, you're a talking bird!' You'e the first one that didn't say it."

     "You're a talking bird!"

     He sighed in disappointment. "Ah, I spoke too soon, I suppose. Well, I'm here to give you directions. Since, you know, you're basically clueless as to where you're supposed to go. Been wandering for a day, right? Had a friend comment on it, right? Want to get something done, right? Well, I'm your man! Or, perhaps, your bird."

     "Who are you?" Leia demanded. "How do you know all this stuff about me? And how do I know that you're not some type of enemy?"

     "Oh, relax. Don't you think that if I was an enemy, that I would've changed into something more menacing than a wren and tried to kill you?" The bird's statement was tenable, but Leia was still wary. However, as she walked on, she began to think about what the bird had said. She did really need some directions.

     "Okay, then. What do you have to say?"

     "There's one place in the world that no man ever knows. However, I do. Because technically, I'm not a mortal. This place was mentioned long, long ago, but since then, no one ever thought much about it and sadly, the world slowly forgot that this place existed. Sad, isn't it?"

     Leia made no effort to reply.

     "I see. Giving me the silent treatment? Well, this place isn't mapped or charted, as you may guess. So you will need more than a map. You will need something even more reliable than Google! Which, technically, I invented as well."

     "Uh..."

     "So, you must need a person."

     "How is that more reliable than Google?"

     The wren sighed and stared straight at Leia, its small eyes disappointed. "Do you trust me or not?"

     "That depends..." Leia shrugged. "Since I don't know who you are."

     "Never mind that!" It said briskly. "The unknown place doesn't have a name quite yet. But once you find it, you MUST give it a name! Or else. And this place... get read for it... is not in this world."

      "How are we supposed to find it, then?" Leia stopped, turning her head to look at the bird. "How are we supposed to find some place that's not on earth? It's pretty much impossible!"

     "Oh, believe me, dear, it's very much possible." The wren cocked its head, opening its beak. "And don't worry."

     "I'll help you."