As far as dreams go, the next one I had was pretty nerve racking.. it was of Rachel.. and yeah, I found that weird too.. if I was going to have any ominous dreams of things to come, I didn't expect it to be of her or anything.. if anything, I was expecting Nico to send me another weird dream message ( I really had to figure out how to send those, they were weirdly nifty, I know Grover had a general gist of it.. I had to ask him next time I saw him.)

Rachel was sitting in one of those massive fancy round beds in a huge room filled with easels of art she was painting or sketching.. 

( My kingly senses are telling me.. to tell you.. for some reason.. that one person called Miyoko Misaka was based off Rachel Elizabeth Dare... weird..)

The drawings were all very good.. but they seemed to be of things that she had NO way knowing about..

There were a few drawings of Servants from the Fourth Fuyuki Grail War, such as Darmuid, Iskandar, Hassan of A Thousand Personas, and Gilgamesh, Lancelot's Berserker form..   and then ones from the fifth war, such as me, Medusa, Heracles, even a particular Archer I knew..

I had described some of the Grail Wars to her, but how could she have known what they looked like in such... detail?

Rachel looked a little angry she brushed aside her sketches, and then glared angrily at a portrait of me that hung on her wall.. one of me in my Lily form, holding Caliburn. My face looked happier than it usually did.. probably because I told her that the last time I wore those clothes when I was alive.. I was actually a very happy and hopeful person.

"Heroic Spirits this.. Heroic Spirits that.." Rachel muttered. "Them.. and their STUPID quests.."

Rachel picked up a remote and upped the volume on her music.. As far as I knew about Rachel's taste in music, they all had to be loud and strange..  And she practically laughed at me when I revealed my taste in music was pretty much Two Steps From Hell, Celtic Woman and the God of War 4 Soundtrack... not that she teased me for it.. according to her it was "Strangely obvious."

Suddenly there was a frenzied knock on his door. "RACHEL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? TURN OFF THAT-.."

Rachel switched off the music. "Come in!!"

Rachel's father walked in, squinting.. wearing a set of neat pajamas Monogrammed W.D.

Really? Monogrammed pajamas? It was like me wearing armor to bed and maybe tucking in Excalibur next to me.. just what kind of arrogant weirdo did that?

He looked around, then he frowned at a picture of my first master Kiritsugu Emiya, which was well drawn, and hanging nearby... it had a lot of darts in it.  "Who is that..?"

"Somebody who was a jerk to my friend.. and naively thinks killing to protect your friends is murder like normal murder.." said Rachel as casually as one would discuss the weather.

Mr. Dare raised an eyebrow at the other pictures that were swept on the floor and then picked up the one of me.. "Do you insist on drawing Ms. Pendragon as if she is some sort of knight in shining armor..? I find this very disturbing Rachel.. you seem to be dwelling in unrealistic fantasies.."

"Art is creative.. deal with it." Rachel growled.  "Anyways.. sorry for waking you.. couldn't sleep. "

"Bad dreams again?" said Mr. Dare.

"I should have NEVER told you about those.." Rachel growled.

"We could call Dr. Arkwright.. he helped you get over the death of your hamster.." said Mr. Dare.

"I DON'T need a therapist dad.. and for pete's sake I was SIX.." said Rachel.  "I just... just.."

"I care about you Rachel.. it's why I ask."

"No.. you care about your family's reputation!!!" Rachel growled.

Well she wasn't wrong..

Mr. Dare paced the room, a serious expression on his face, his hands behind his back. I didn't know much about capitalistic corporations, but after watching some Office Dramas with Shirou on rainy nights, I imagined this is what he did in his own board room meetings.. making all his employees nervous.

"I take it, your friend Ms. Pendragon.. and her.. sister.. aren't coming?" said Mr. Dare.

That's what Mr. Dare called Mordred, whenever he talked to her, which he rarely did. Always "Young Lady, or Pendragon's Sister." 

"I don't know.. maybe.." Rachel muttered, knitting her eyebrows.

"Rachel.. if they haven't made up their minds.."

"They probably aren't coming okay!? Happy!?"

"No.. I was hoping Ms. Pendragon would come at least.. she is a-.."

"Don't lump her in with 'proper lady' adjectives." said Rachel furiously. "She hates it when you do that.. she hates you actually.. and I don't blame her! The only reason she doesn't cleave you in half is because she's  had experience in self control.."

"I don't need her to like me.. I just need her to teach you some of that same control." said Mr. Dare.

Oooooh I wanted to run out of this dream and punch that man. So now I was a tool to control his daughter? Sick bastard.

Mr. Dare walked over to the large wall on the side of Rachel's room, which actually turned out to be massive paneled windows.. overlooking the New York skyline..

He gave the skyline a look as if he owned it.. which was wrong of course.. he only owned part of it..

"You will be pleased with our destination Rachel.. perhaps it will finally make you see how much I care for you.."

"St. Thomas..? Like that's going to get me to go to Clarion's Lady Academy..? forget about it.." Rachel growled.

"We aren't going to St. Thomas this time Rachel.. assets in the company have uncovered a rather.. revolutionary discovery.. a find of a lifetime..  one of the archaeological branches assured me that it is the ruins of your favorite place.. Camelot.."

Rachel froze. "You.. you can't be serious.."

"We found this.." said Mr. Dare taking out a photo from his breast pocket.. which made me respect him even less... who keeps photos.. in the breast pocket of your pajamas.. as you SLEEP!? What is this guy!? what next? Does he give stock reports and negotiate contracts in the shower with a monogrammed bathrobe?

Rachel snatched the photo away, and I could see on it.. was a fragment of wood with my kingdom's crest on it.. and to my astonishment I realized it was actually a fragment of the Round Table..

I could see excitement on Rachel's face, she had a thrill for my country.. heck she started the Arthurian Legend Club at my school. She formerly believed me to be a work of good fiction before she actually met me, after that she had constantly asked me where Camelot was EXACTLY geographically.. Unfortunately all I could do was point at a general area on a map.. Britain had changed far too much for me to deduce where everything was anymore.. none of the old landmarks were what they used to be..  I couldn't even find the Lady's lake  when me and Annabeth visited Britain.

"We leave in the morning." said Mr. Dare. "To observe the dig site. And to prepare the site for.. building.."

"Building?" said Rachel, suddenly looking shocked. "Building for what!?"

"A new resort, to up our profits.. a company site on the very bones of Camelot.. you should be thrilled Rachel.. "

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Rachel roared.  "You.. You're ripping apart history and using it fill your pockets!! This stuff needs to be preserved!!"

"The past is the past Rachel.. sooner you understand that the better. I believe these dreams are effecting you too much.. it will be good for you to get away..  learn this philosophy.. they are just dreams after all.."

Mr. Dare left the room.. as Rachel gritted her teeth.

"I hope they're just dreams.." Rachel stood up and removed a sheet from on top of an easel where she kept a highly detailed painting..

It was of me.. and all of our friends.. standing beneath the shadow of the Empire State Building, as shadows closed in around us..

I wanted to call Rachel the next day.. but due to monsters being able to track cellphone signals, cellphones usually weren't allowed.  of course it was different for us Heroic Spirits, even ones who were demigods like me.  Due to our tremendous power, monsters preferred to ignore us instead of risking it.. however,  some of the stronger ones liked a challenge, so even though we were allowed phones, we used them very little.

But in camp.. we left our phones with Chiron in a locked safety deposit box that blocked off magic. And by the time I convinced Chiron to let me access my phone, Rachel would most definitely be in Britain already.

I told Annabeth about my dream later that day during Cabin Inspections.

Cabin Inspection duty was switched out between two Camp Councilors every week or so, and it was Servant Cabin and Athena Cabin's turn, which meant me and Annabeth were performing them..

So me and Annabeth went from cabin to cabin, holding clipboards, checking off things as I explained my dream.

"Weird.. just.. really weird." said Annabeth as we strolled around Apollo cabin and I marked off some points on my list for a few stray clothes on the ground.

"Indeed... it is strange, I never informed her of the Grail Wars.. in such.. detail.." I muttered. "She got Lancer's face incredibly well.. and I don't believe she and him have ever met.."

"But.. do you really think they found Camelot? After we searched so long and hard and found nothing?" said Annabeth. "I mean.. how do you feel about that?"

I went silent.. I thought about it a little. "I.. don't know what I feel.. on one hand.. Camelot is no more..  just a bygone relic of a bygone era.. on the other hand.. I feel nostalgia.. and then.. I also feel great sadness..  Do me a favor and do not mention this to Mordred, Lancelot or the others."

"Yeah, I think Momo might go rogue and try to hunt Rachel's dad down.." said Annabeth.

"That's an exaggeration-.. or.. no.. actually, that's exactly what she might try."I muttered. "Yes.. keep very quiet about this.."

I eyed my clipboard quietly and looked around.. then I sighed, pointing at a lot of scattered notebooks and quivers on the ground.  "By the time I count to 10.. that better be cleaned up.. ONE.. TWO.."

"SORRY!!" said a camper, running over and picking up his scattered things.

"Little harsh don't you think?" said Annabeth.

"A king must be just.. and fair." I said, placing my hands on my hips. "And.. I am being merciful.. had I not given him a chance, I would have deducted points instead.."

"True." said Annabeth as we left the cabin and started to make our way down to Servant Cabin. "Hope yours is clean though.. kind of embarrassing to dock points from yourself right?"

I frowned. Unlike Percy, who gave himself a perfect score whenever he inspected his own rather.. messy digs.. I never neglected to dock points from myself and my own friends whenever warranted.. part of the sad thing of being raised to be a just king I guess.. I couldn't bring myself or lie or be deceitful out of selfish desires..

And that was my downfall of course, when I came in to find that, despite my warnings of inspection, that there was quite a mess.

Cleopatra's bunk had been covered in numerous egyptian tomes and artifacts that were rolling around the floor..  Liz's concert ticket printer was dangling from a table, paper everywhere..

And for some reason Cu's bunk on the bottom floor where many of the male servants slept, was covered in boar pelts.. boar hides.. and.. BOAR MEAT ON A ROAST SPIT OVER A FIRE!?

"EEEEEEEEK!!" I screamed, running over and trying to stomp out the flames with my shoe, which then caught fire forcing me to throw the nikes that mother gave me off my feet.  "WHAT IN THE LORD'S NAME ARE YOU DOING LANCER!?"

"I was hunting boar.. got a lot of em in the forest." said Cu casually. "Want some?"

"This cannot get any worse.." I muttered.

Annabeth suddenly burst out laughing.. I soon found out why.

Kiyohime, on the 2nd floor girls bunks area had created a giant shrine filled with pictures of Travis Stoll..  and she was rolling around on the floor, clutching the shrine obsessively, throwing rose petals all over the floor..

"Oh.. my beloved.. my beloved.. beloved.. beloved... beloved.. he will never lie to me.. never.. never never... never.." said Kiyohime, blushing weirdly.

Liz was staring at her, a fearful look on her face. "I.. tried to have her take it down.. but.. she nearly burned down the place when I did.."

"Welll..?" said Annabeth, smirking. "What are you going to do..? Miss Fair King of Knights..?"

I bit my bottom lip. The dibs on the best shower times and picks for teams in Capture the Flag were at stake here.. whoever had the worst grade.. would.. would.. urrrrrrr...

Shakily, I held up my clipboard and moved my pen towards the "Pass" check box... but..

"I CAN'T DO IT!!" I sobbed, scratching in the "Fail" check box instead.. "I JUST CAN'T DO IT!!"

Annabeth sighed and smiled, taking the grade list on my clipboard and ripping it up.. "Come on.. let me do it instead.. hmmm.. I see.. a pass but only just barely.. 70 percent.. there.."

"Thank you.." I whispered. "I love you Annabeth!"

"And I love you my darling future husband.." Kiyohime whispered to her shrine.

"YOU'RE SO DAMN CREEPY!!" Liz roared.

Athena cabin was next. Everything was pretty clean.. except for.. however.."

"Erm.." I said, smiling slightly "How about you grade this one too.. I'm too honest for my own good."

Annabeth's bunk was still a mess, one of the Athena cabin guys was standing next to it, looking sheepish, but smirking. "Well.. we weren't sure if we should touch it or.."

True.. one thing about Annabeth.. you didn't mess with her stuff unless you wanted a celestial bronze knife at your throat... not as dangerous as Kiyohime.. but a close second.

Annabeth, blushing began gathering up her notes.. and her laptop from Daedalus's workshop.. as she did, I noticed a stack of notes written on what appeared to be leaves.. and I frowned. "These are.."

"Messages.. from Grover's people.. satyrs and nature spirits from all over the globe, protecting national wildlife and stuff.." said Annabeth.

I picked up one of the leaves.

"Lost several Dryads.. two more Satyrs... attacked by rogue Berserker, loyal to Kronos.." I read. "Where are you?.. sighed Gleeson Hedge..."

"There are others exactly like this one.." said Annabeth, looking worried. "All this past week.."

"That's the last time I saw him.." I said. "He came to New York to provide information on Iapetus from that one time Ethan was trying to steal the Sword of Hades right?  That's when you, me, him, and Rin went and fought two titans.. and then after that we didn't see him since.. I figured he was fine.. I mean he was out of contact for longer periods before right?"

"Yeah, but usually when things aren't too bad..  but with things going horrible right now.. you'd think.. I don't know.. but I have a bad feeling." said Annabeth. "You still have that empathy link with him right? Got anything at all?"

I closed my eyes.. letting my immense magical energy and dragon's blood flow into the link that held me to Grover.. and then... clear as day.. I got...

"zzzzzz... mmph.. tin cans... mmph... more tin cans Juniper... mmmffff.."

Annabeth stared at me as I opened my eyes.

"What?" Annabeth said.

"That's what I got.." I said, frowning.

Annabeth sighed. "What in the WORLD is our Goat to Guy doing Arturia.."

"That's a good question." I muttered. "He felt heavy.. like he was sleeping.. I don't know.. there's a dull buzz in his head and I can't figure it out..  I don't think he's dead or anything.. if it were a normal human he did an empathy link with.. both people would die upon his death..but my body would endure it.. However, I do believe I'd feel it.."

Suddenly there was an explosion of flames as we watched the  Apollo cabin, riding on what appeared to be a flying chariot pulled by pegasi, fired a set of flaming arrows on the Ares cabin's roof.. setting it on fire..

"What the!?" I said. 

The Ares Cabin ran out, screaming in rage as a full on fight began to break out.. thankfully, I saw Gawain already heading to where the fighting was going on..  certainly he could handle the situation..

"What are Ares and Apollo fighting about anyways!?" I said, blinking. "I mean.. I know I saw Michael and Clarisse at it last time.. but.."

"That chariot.." said Annabeth.

"What!?" I said. "They've been fighting over a stupid chariot?!"

"Well a flying chariot made of rare mage craft that was captured from one of Kronos's military camps.." Rin came walking over to join us. "I was at the assault with Ares Cabin members, and Apollo cabin members..  Kiyohime and Liz were there with us too.. we even had some help from a few mages I found living nearby.. but that was as forthcoming the Mage Association was bent on helping us at all.. selfish jerks.."

"Well the Mage Association was never one for helping out others.. their only interest in us is that we've got a lot of Heroic Spirits allied with our cause.." said Annabeth.

"Well anyways.. Ares Cabin led the assault, but the Apollo cabin is the one that managed to capture the chariot. They got the brilliant idea to let Leonidas do the driving as they shot arrows from on it.. taking care of the rest of the camp.."

"Didn't take Leonidas as a charioteer.. " I said.

"He was a Spartan, of course he knows how to ride a chariot." said Rin with a shrug. "I think.. I mean, I guess Spartans are more intent on foot soldier type fighting.. .."

"They were big on chariot racing of course, but they didn't ride them into battle." said Annabeth. "Leonidas might have done some riding in his spare time."

"Anyways." Rin continued. "Ares cabin argues that since they organized the assault the chariot is there's, but Apollo cabin says that it's there's cause.. well.. they captured it."

"To the those who found the spoils go the spoils unless the victims of the war need it more.." I said. "Unless there were casualties who could use the chariot, I do believe Apollo won it fair and square.."

"But you know how stubborn Clarisse is.. she won't lie down and take it.." said Rin with a sigh. "Honestly.. I don't think I've ever met a more brazen and stubborn girl.. even your sister couldn't compare.."

"I could ask Mordred to talk some sense into Clarisse." I said. "She and her get along better nowadays.. "

"Don't bother!!" Mordred stomped past, looking angry. "I already tried that.. she's being a total.. ARRRRRGGGHH!!!"

Mordred continued to stomp off, looking pretty furious.

Rin and Annabeth looked at me.

"Uh.. are you perhaps thinking I can solve this?" I asked.

"You're the best at Kingly tough love!" said Annabeth. "Be like you usually are when you're scolding the rest of us for not regularly cleaning our weapons.. be like.. 'Clarisse! You are being a fool! Live with your mistakes or I shall punish you personally!'.

"I.. I don't talk like that!" I stammered.

"Oh my GOD I need a tape recorder.. that is SO you!" said Rin with a laugh.

"I know right!?" Annabeth exclaimed as she hi fived Rin.

"Since when were you two so chummy?" I grumbled.

It didn't take long to find Clarisse. When it came time to inspect Aphrodite cabin, we found her comforting Silena.

As usual, Silena and the rest of the Aphrodite cabin showed neatness, and not just neatness, but the ability to make their cabin absolutely ravishing and spotless..

This actually confused me.. Aphrodite was the goddess of love right? Not fashion design, supermodels, Room design, or cleanliness.. in fact one could say that love was very dirty.. messy, and crazy... where did Aphrodite's celebrity super star thing ever come from?

"Impressive as always Silena." I said, marking a perfect 100 onto my clipboard as Clarisse patted Silena's back.

"Thank you Saber.. and.. I'm sorry.." said Silena.  "I should've told you earlier.. I don't blame your for.. for Charlie.. he.. did what he did as his choice.. and he wouldn't want you to blame yourself either.."

"No.. Silena.. don't-.." I began.

"Don't start blaming yourself please.." said Silena.. looking at me with fierce eyes filled with tears.  "You're always putting way too much on your shoulders Saber.. Be.. Bedivere says he always wished you'd go easy on yourself.. and frankly I agree.... I.. I have to go now.. we're.. burning his burial shroud later.."

Silena left, leaving us alone with Clarisse.

"She helped us.. you know.." Chris, Clarisse's boyfriend walked in. "When we were getting things started... and when I was still reconciling with the fact I was part of Luke's army.. and all that.."

I nodded at Chris. I had been quick to forgive Chris after he emerged from the maze in a coma.. and then was cured from his madness by Mr. D. 

It had taken my slow and steady reconciliation with Mordred to truly understand the great complexity of betrayal and what went into it.. Before the 4th and 5th holy grail war.. I merely believed Mordred just got greedy for the throne and started a rebellion.. it wasn't till later I realized Morgan Le Fey had been manipulating a girl.. who.. underneath everything, was just an innocent person pining for my affection.

These traitors to the gods were the same..people who felt abandoned by their godly parents.. pining after their affections, only to be rejected.. and then Kronos.. like my half sister Morgan.. took advantage of that..

And then after Lancelot.. and many other situations.. I just couldn't look at "traitors" the same way again.. the only traitor I could bring myself to be angry against was Ethan Nakamura.

Mordred didn't know it.. but I knew she was bubbling with mixed feelings about him.. and Ethan, knowing full well that he was hurting her, decided to go with his path of vengeance anyways.. it struck me as cruel.. and it made me feel like Ethan was toying with Mordred for fun.. and that disgusted me.

I shook these thoughts out of my head and looked at Clarisse. "I hear we've been having a little issue with a certain flying Chariot.."

Clarisse looked silent for a moment.. then. "I decided.. until Michael wises up.. our cabin's honor has been stained.. we won't fight.. Ares won't fight until we get our dues.."

I stared with shock. "You.. are leaving the rest of us to fight Kronos on our own!? Over THIS!? Do you even HEAR yourself right now!?"

"You're King Arthur!! Don't Knights know a thing or two about honor!? Well my honor's been stained!" Clarisse growled.

"You did that yourself by squabbling over something so pitifully small!" I said coldly. "Had you BEEN my knight, I would punish you for blinding yourself to your ideals over a silly flying machine."

"You sound like Gawain that jackass." growled Clarisse.

"I would hope so.. I've always admired him." I growled. "And he is one of my subordinates in case you've forgotten.  Clarisse.. I know you and I didn't start our relationship on the best terms.. but I feel we've grown better over the years.. I implore you to see reason.."

"REASON!? Okay.. here.. if you can convince Michael that idiot to give us what we're due! Then sure!! But until then, don't expect anything from us!" Clarisse.

"So you would just allow Kronos to trample over us!?" I said.

"If I have to.." Clarisse growled. "This is the honor of Ares.. not King Arthur.. so don't lump me in with your Round Table of prissy dancing pretty boys!!"

Clarisse huffed off, Chris hurrying after him, yelling. "Wait.. Clarisse.. WAIT!"

I sighed. "I don't think I helped.."

"Yeah.. maybe tough love wasn't what she needed." said Rin.

"No.. "I muttered. "With her type of mind.. and her selfishness, unfortunately it will take something drastic to get her off her butt.. hmmm.. a pity.."

I began flipping through my clipboard. "Let us move on to the Hephaestus Cabin.. "

"You aren't going to go after her?" Annabeth asked.

"No.. " I said, my voice heavy. "Unfortunately.. I don't think anybody anything says will convince Clarisse otherwise.. I have seen those eyes in soldiers all too often.. the eyes of overwhelming pride that will not waver.. now.. let's go.. and slowly.. give the Hephaestus cabin time to clean more.. I don't want to give marks off considering who they lost.."