"So, this is going to be the plan..." Travis Stoll extended what it looked like a blueprint over the table so, everyone gathered around could see it. His siblings were listening very carefully and with attention, except for one boy that was leaning against the wall, away from the commotion, but close enough to hear everything that was being said.
That boy was Chris Rodriguez.
It's been years since Chris was rescued from the claws of Kronos' Army, back when he was sent inside, alone and without any backup, Dedalous' Labyrinth. Years that he has been grateful to his girlfriend of four years, when she found him, support him and cure him from the horrors he experienced down there. From the nightmares.
That's why Chris wasn't so on board with this plan Travis had. He planned to prank the Ares' Cabin.
Chris felt torn in that situation. For one, if he even considered pranking Cabin 5, Clarisse wouldn't have any objection in punish him, both publicly and personally. And you don't wanna mess with an angry Ares' camper. For another, Travis was his brother- half brother, if you're getting technical. As well as the rest of the members of that cabin. The only family he had after he left his own mother for his safety, back in Florida. And, family always got each other's back.
As you can see, Chris found himself in an impasse.
"Chris, do you understand it?" Travis' younger brother by blood, Connor, brought him back from his thoughts. Chris couldn't admit he just missed half the plan, but he simply nodded. He would improvise in the end.
"So, you all know what you have to do..." Travis clapped his hands and everyone dispersed around, gathering pranking objects, such as whipped cream, duct tape, nails, farting cushions, itchy powder... The list could go on for two days of the amount of stuff just one kid of Hermes could carry. Chris focused on his stuff, that wasn't much anyway. He preferred stealing, he was quite an expect in stealing and not being detected.
Checking his watch, Travis gave a signal and everyone started to walk out of the cabin. It was pass curfew, so everyone would walk in tiptoes, expecting that the harpies wouldn't hear them, or worst, smell them. And, because Chris didn't want to be caught by neither the harpies or his girlfriend, Chris was what kids always refer to 'a freaking ninja'. Natural talent from being raised near Biscayne Bay. If you wanna steal, you better not get caught...
Travis and Connor, current head councilors of Cabin 11, handed Chris a responsibility away from Clarisse, knowing that their brother would never be able to prank his own girlfriend without her to notice, so he was in charge of the weapon supply shed Cabin 5 held inside. The most dangerous, sharped and exotic weapons were hidden there. Chris, in a way, appreciated a job away from the cabin members and dedicated to get their weapons greasy and slippery.
It wasn't Chris' best work, but could do it. Before he locked the shed back, his eyes rested on a small leather cover, that belonged to a book, on the floor of the shed. Curios about it, he removed his glove (because he wouldn't be caught dead by his fingerprints. It was a habit, actually) and picked it up. It had no name on the cover and the final pages were blank. But, what caught Chris' eyes was the handwriting. Opening his eyes in surprise, he ogled the first pages, before someone would whistle the signal out. Groaning, Chris hid the book and locked back the shed before exiting the cabin, with the rest of his siblings.
Chris spent the rest of the night without sleeping. Or, at least, the four hours left till the morning call. His mind was torn between reading the book and return it without reading it. Staring at the ceiling wasn't helping either, so he decided to stare at the little leather book that was resting at his side.
"I'm gonna regret this later..." he mumbled to himself, grabbing the little book and opened at the first page. It was dated almost 10 years ago.
I'm not even starting by writing 'Dear Diary'. That's like hitting a new low that my mother wants me to reach. As if!
Diaries are for fools that can't express they feelings and that aren't strong to deal with them. Mine are simple: this is silly.
Mother gave this to me to 'write my feelings that I won't tell her'. Those are the words of a quitter, because if she even cares about my feelings, she would keep trying and not handing them inside a piece of paper. My guess? That she'll wait until I'm away so she could read it.
I'm not even understanding why I'm writing so much right now. Bye.
Chris smirked at the fact that his girlfriend didn't change much in the past ten years. He passed the pages, ignoring the short abstracts about her life before coming to Camp Half-Blood. A few pages later, he found one interesting.
It's me. Again.
Looks like I'm doing a road trip. Without my Mom. As if! That woman can't live without the dying heat of Phoenix. Or anything that blows her hair. Probably, that's why she lives inside the house most the time with the AC turned up... even in winter!
Anyway, the guy taking me to this trip has the most weird name I've heard. Gleeson Hedge. Took me a while to find out, and I can see why. Seriously, who name their kids like that?! He's short and bad-tempered all the time.
He better not mess with me.
Chris chuckled lowly, shutting himself quickly before looking around his siblings, who were snoring the breaking dawn away. Relieved, Chris read the next extract, hoping he reads about when Clarisse found out Coach was a satyr.
This will be the weirdest thing I'll write in this thing.
That man that took me out of my house, the one who's short and bad-tempered and has a name that could be the fun of an entire army? He's a satyr.
I'll write it again. A. Freaking. Satyr! With hairy goat legs and horns on his head!
I laughed in his face when he told the first time. Now, I just woke up from passing out when he showed me.
He explained to me I was the daughter of a greek god, that's why I was always getting in trouble. That's why I have ADHD. That's why I had dyslexia. That he was taking me to a safer place. A place for people like me.
I don't know what to believe now.
Chris felt a little of pity and compassion for the ten-year-old Clarisse. He kept reading, ignoring the journey until he reached the first time she arrived at Camp.
Coach Hedge dropped me off at the place he told me about. Camp Half-Blood. I was greeted by a man half horse and a fat man with bloodshed eyes and a Diet Coke on his hand. I remember not wanting to be close to the man, he's a drunk, I can tell. He's the Camp Director. Great, my fate is at the hands of a drunken guy.
They took me to see a movie, that explained about me and my supposedly 'father'. Coach told me he thinks my father is Ares, god of war. Wouldn't be bad. Anyway, after the movie, another satyr took me around, until one of the biggest guys I've seen walked to us. And, by the way the satyr was cowering, he was a bully.
He insulted me, I insulted back. Wasn't long before I was on top of the guy, hitting the lights out of him, with everyone surrounding us. When I stopped, he was barely unconscious and I had a red spear floating over my head. The guys that were with the bully smirked and told me I was their sister.
Cool, now I have people I can beat up over and over again without them complaining.
"For someone who claims 'feelings are for the weak', you express yourself pretty clear, my dear..." Chris smirked after reading the extract. It was followed by several other paragraphs of Clarisse gloating about how she beat her own siblings and won to be Head Councilor. And her first fight with the kids of Athena, specially Annabeth, who was her History/Greek teacher. What caught his eyes was the following text, the first time she ever wrote his name.
A new kid showed up today.
He's staying in Cabin 11, where all the unclaimed kids go. I swear, one more lid and that cabin will explode.
He looks OK, but he's weak as a wheat. Though his mouth is pretty big and his fingers really fast. I'm not surprised he gets claimed by Hermes soon enough. He's latino and his name is Chris Rodriguez.
I was in the 'welcome committee'. After someone showed him around, I decided to tested him, because we wouldn't want weak meat inside this place. The weak don't survive for long out there and you have to be strong, or keep locked in this Camp forever.
The guy, Rodriguez, he was quick on his feet, but with the help of four, we caught him. What made him get free was the fact that one of ours slipped and dropped him. Stupid mistake, I made him run forty laps without dinner.
Rodriguez will go down soon.
Chris remembered that day as if it was yesterday. It was the first time they had met and they soon turned into enemies- though, 'enemies' was a strong and inadequate word. But, Chris knew that Clarisse was a tough shell to break. He was patient, he still was (though, reading her private diary wasn't a very good proof of that). He moved to a paragraph of five years ago.
I caught Rodriguez running along the borderline.
It was suspiscious, especially since Jackson and 'Princess' Chase came back from returning the lightning to Zeus. Big whoop.
Back to topic. Rodriguez was running along the borderline. After curfew. Suspicious much? I think it is. I followed him and he had stopped before turning to me. I asked him what was he doing. He claimed he was leaving, because he had been waiting for years to claimed and, for him, it was clear that his father didn't want him. I fought him. Told him that he was a fool. He argued with me.
I watched him sprinting away, knowing he'll regret leaving.
Apparently, Clarisse had seen the future, because he did regret leaving Camp. Though, it passed years before he could see his mistake. That and a doses of madness, courtesy of Dedalous. The following text was dated a few weeks after he left Camp.
Something is wrong with me.
It's been a couple of weeks since the Summer Solstice and no one seems to notice the absence of Rodriguez. And, I've been asking. Me, asking. Even I can't believe it. Anyway, no one cares that much. Selfish bastards.
One girl from the Aphrodite Cabin caught me spacing out while pegasi riding. She asked me what was wrong and I snapped at her. The girl smirked and told me that, when I was ready to talk about it, go looking for her.
Her name was Silena Beauregard. And I have no idea what she was talking about.
Chris sighed at the mention of Silena. Silena was very persuasive when she wanted. Luke was the one who talked him into joining the Army, but was Silena who convinced him into leaving Camp. Despite their good intentions, of all of them, Chris realized they took the wrong path.
My mother called me.
She send me an IM. I didn't even knew she knew how to IM. Anyway, she told me that I should go back home because she found a guy who was speaking- more like babbling about nonsenses things, like strings, labyrinths and people who are healed by the earth.
I don't even feel like going.
Chris tensed at that revelation. He wondered what would had happened if Clarisse hadn't flown back to Phoenix to get him. Would he stayed mad for eternity? Placed inside an asylum, as a mental patient? Would he had the chance to see his mother again? Regret about his actions towards his friends, his siblings, his father? Chris didn't want to speculate. This was his reality and he was grateful for it.
The mad guy in my mother's house was Rodriguez.
He was moving around, my mother not able to restrain himself. He hadn't been feed in a week and he was speaking nonsenses things. My mother told me she found him near a construction site.
Swallowing my pride, and the gods know I have a lot, I called Princess to tell them about my discoveries. She told me to destroy the entrance of what could be the mythical Dedalous' labyrinth. That that was the cause of Chris' madness.
I think I need to talk to that Beauregard girl.
Chris slumped his shoulders and hid a yawn. The clock was showing it was 4:36am and he had less than two hours to finish reading the diary. Or, at least, two hours until the Ares' campers wake up and find out about their prank.
Silena told me I had a crush on Chris.
I remember yelling at her that was absurd. That I didn't have feelings for him. Feelings made you weak. Silena fought with me, and I've never seen her fighting someone in my life. She gave me several arguments of why I was captivated by Chris. Some of them were insane, other kind of made sense.
All I know is that, after that talk, I was more confused than ever. Especially because Chris won't stop naming me 'Mary'. Was she someone he met? Was she his girlfriend? Was she someone that was with him inside the labyrinth?
Life got confused.
"Oh... She'll never hear the end of this..." Chris planned to tease Clarisse good after reading this. But, it wasn't something like that. Mary was a special girl for another reason. But, Chris wasn't confident enough to tell Clarisse just yet, thought they were dating for four, almost five years! Get a grip, punk! she would scream at himself.
Mr. D cured Chris.
He almost didn't do it because he was upset about Castor's dead. I don't blame him, but he kind of had to cure him. Or I'd had put Maimer inside his godly guts guts.
Anyway, when he woke up, he recognized me. Though he frowned when he saw me. He told me I was crying. I told him only wimps cry. And he accused me of being a wimp. I almost maimed him if it wasn't for that smirk on his face, showing he was teasing me.
I guess I could allow one tear or two because of happiness.
By now, Chris felt really bad reading about Clarisse's personal thoughts. Those were private moments, things she never wanted to show him or anyone! He read the last entry of the diary, that was dated a few weeks after they started dating.
Chris asked me to be his girlfriend.
I told him I didn't do cheesy stuff, much less PDA or romantic gestures. The most romantic thing I could do was not hit him. He told me he didn't care, because he just wanted to be there for me, as I was there for him.
I don't think I'll write in here again. I always feared someone would find this and tease me about my feelings. But, I found a guy who listens and knows that my feelings are personal.
He won't share. He won't judge. He won't make fun of me.
Because that's was my point, being cared and respected. And Chris does that. Because he knows its value.
Chris stopped reading, closing the diary with a loud 'puff'. He got dress and walked outside, the diary with him. He got to the limits of the woods and, walking inside, he began collecting branches and dry leaves and things that could make a fire. He lighted it on with a lighter that she stole from his siblings and watched the fire grow in intensity. He just watched it. The smoke began to come out, alerting the satyrs and the nymphs, who would give the alarm. Some of them would even try to get him away from it, but Chris wouldn't budge.
This was his plan.
Chris heard the satyrs calling that someone would look for Clarisse. Yes, bring Clarisse! Chris wanted to scream, Wake her up!. Itwas matter of time they'd find out the prank. Chris, and everyone elses, heard the screams and yells and shouts coming from Cabin 5. He knew she was gonna be pissed, so this was his compensation. Followed by a mob of campers, Clarisse made her way to him, covered in whipped cream and brown feathers. Though the look was kind of funny, everyone was terrified of how things were gonna end up for them if they laughed. Chris didn't blame them.
"Punk!" Clarisse screamed at him. Chris smirked and turned to see her, noticing for the first time, the crowd that came with her "You better have a reason for this-" and she pointed at the fire, who was growing "-because if now, I'll make it your funeral!"
"What if it was like that?" Chris mumbled, not even raising his voice. Campers murmured and Clarisse changed her angry frown with a concern one.
"What are you talking about, Chris?" Chris shook his head and waved at the crowd to leave. Only then, he turned to Clarisse.
"I'm talking about this" he raised his arm and showed her the diary. Clarisse petrified in her place, before she scowled.
"You, little sneaky-"
"Calm down, woman!" Chris raised his other arm in defense.
"You want to burn it!"
"It's not better?!" Clarisse stopped screaming at him and only stared "Clarisse, Mary..." Chris felt a knot in his throat, but forced himself to continue "Mary was a girl from the neighborhood I grew up in... We were best friends and we stole for fun... One day, she wanted to break in into a house fully secured, but she didn't wait for me..."
"She got herself killed..." Clarisse understood quickly. Chris only nodded.
"Last time we spoke, we argued and I told her that it wasn't safe..." Chris sorbed up and nodded "There. No more secrets"
"It was a valid reason-"
"No justifications. I always heard you in my mind, you know?" This comment made Clarisse chuckled.
"Punk, you are seriously mad..."
"I'm mad about you" he admitted, making Clarisse involuntarily blush "I'm glad you're not mad about this..."
"Oh, I'm mad with you" Clarisse promised "I'll just need a good punishment for you..."
"And I wouldn't want it any other way"
"Shut up, punk!" Clarisse cut him, frowning "I'm still mad at you!"