Daphne crouched behind the bushes.
"The billboard completely crushed her legs. She'll live but she will never be able to run again," the son of Apollo reported.
"Poor child…she had much talent with running…" muttered Chiron.
This was Daphne needed to hear; actually it was too much…
Broken memories filled her brain.
"Race you too the lake?" she asked.
"Come on Daphne, just a few more miles!" she whispered.
Broken promises filled her brain.
"This summer, we'll finish the race together." She promised.
"Alright already, I'll be careful, I won't get hurt." She promised before heading out to battle.
But she did get hurt and she will never finish the race.
Tears swam down her red cheeks and dropped to the forest ground.
- Linelinelinelineline –
She absolutely hated the looks of pity.
How dare they pity her! What has she done to be pitted upon?
- Linelinelinelineline -
The war has ended.
The titans have fallen.
Olympus is saved.
Children of minor deities are claimed.
Calypso has been freed.
Luke Castellan is now dead.
Percy Jackson is now a hero.
But at least now, she doesn't get any more pitting looks. But she thinks that's because they forgotten about Vivian and her broken legs.
But even now, Daphne can't stand being at Camp Half-Blood.
She can't stand watching Vivian being pushed around in a wheelchair by some random demigod who was assigned to do it.
She can't stand seeing Vivian's sad look when the rest of her cabins are doing foot races.
And she can't stand Vivian's eyes going watery whenever she tried to go near her and talk to her.
- Linelinelinelineline –
The finally straw comes when Vivian apparently committed suicide by jumping off the one of the cliffs near the lake.
They burn her shroud even though they never found a body.
She refuses to believe she's dead and refuses to speak at the shroud-burning ceremony.
The pitting looks are back again much too Daphne's disdain.
She hears the silent whispers that surround her.
"She still thinks that Vivian is alive!"
"That girl is insane if she still believes that Vivian is still alive."
"If you ask me, Vivian was going to commit suicide sooner or later. She was never really sane after her legs were broken."
"Did you hear? Daphne McDaniel still thinks Vivian is still alive."
"Poor girl; I mean Daphne and Vivian were like best friends. But then again Daphne never really talked to Vivian after accident."
She knows that she will never be able to call Camp Half-Blood her home after this.
And so she does what anyone else would have done if they were in her position.
Run away.
- Linelinelinelineline –
The steady rhythm of her feet calms her.
She is running away in the dark of night with only a few radiations in her pack.
She knows they will launch a search party after her in when some ones discovers she is gone. But she wonders when that will be.
- Linelinelinelineline –
She ran because she could.
She ran for those who couldn't.
She ran because it was escape.
She ran because Vivian can't.