I flipped the coin high up into the air before slowly watching it as it flitted down back into my open palmed hand. For a minute I just stared at the golden coin-not the mortal type of coin, my type of coin. The drachma. The coin of the Olympians. Slowly, my hand closed around it and I sighed, my eyes slightly shut as I leant back against the wall of the large underground cave. My cave. They didn't know about it, I don't want them to know of it, despite that they live right above it.
Eventually I felt a bell ring throughout the cave, notifying me of the fact that it was nearly dinner time up there, saying that I had to get out of the place and socialize. At this I inwardly groaned before standing up rolling my shoulders trying to get rid of the numbness in my bulging muscles, after a second I heard a slight rattle in the ceiling and I knew the campers were already on their way to the dining pavilion and if I wasn't there, they'd be suspecting I'm somewhere else that's not with my cabin.
I walked through the winding tunnels finally reaching a ramp which shot up into the forest, just on the outskirts of camp, no one ever found the ramp cause I was able to close it up and open it up by pressing a nook on the tree next to it. The cave was the place I could have some time alone and work on my projects, they're usually just some building projects, trying to build hovercrafts, stuff like that, sometimes I delved into weapons and crafting such things like swords and shields, but they are never the best of weapons, children of Hephaestus can build far better than I.
As I walked back into the camp, I stopped slightly to breathe in the air, the fresh air, the type of air you'd only breathe in the country, which I suppose was true right now, I was in the country, though not very far into the country but still the country. But I tried living in the city once, I took a year off away from camp to try and get my place in the city just to see what the whole big raving is about. I hated it after the first night. There were so many people, so much crowding everywhere I went, even the place I was staying at had noise pouring through the walls. No, I prefer the country, the freedom it has to offer.
It wasn't hard joining my cabin's line, the line of cabin five, Athena's cabin. Some of them stared at me for a few minutes, debating on whether or not they should ask where I was, where I have been disappearing for the past seven years, some of them have, some of them have tried following me but I easily lost them by quickly taking the long way to my little hide away.
I could see my older sister, well half sister, but still, she's my sister none the less, stare at me with cold eyes, she didn't like me disappearing off to the middle of nowhere, well something like the middle of nowhere. As long as they don't know it exists, I go to the middle of no where.
But she did not say a thing to me, and I preferred it that way, I didn't like talking to them, I don't really like talking to anyone. I'm not social, but whatever. It doesn't affect me. In no whatsoever, I prefer my own company.
As we sat down at our benches I watched with no interest as my plate filled with juicy barbeque. But I had gotten bored with the barbeque and was waiting for the end of Summer for a change of menu, though it's delicious it can get boring. After a minute people began to stand up, but I did not, not because I wasn't going to, I just wanted to beat the crowd and do it after them, despite the stares that I got from the other campers. Better than not doing it at all though, right?
Eventually the crowd to the fire thinned out and I pushed myself out of my seat, ignoring the stares I walked to the bonfire and scraped some of the cheese into the fire, I never particularly liked cheese, the taste always put me off the yellow blocks.
"Mother, I you burn in the smell of the food I have offered, and in your last moments I hope you love the smell I send you." I silently thought as the flames blew up in my face and with my prayer I heard distant thunder boom in the distance. I was still kneeling for a minute before I felt everything melt away and be replaced by a white surroundings, with nothing, just white. Like the place some mortals would call 'heaven'.
"Is revenge really what you seek?" I heard a voice behind me and I slowly stood up brushing a hand through my hair. I knew who it was, it was obvious who it would be, who else could it be? I slowly turned to see my mother, Athena, goddess of Wisdom, in her godliness looks of brown luscious hair and sharp gray eyes which could look into anyone. Though some might say she is one of the best Olympians, others could say she is the worst Olympian, the worst to make an enemy but the best to have on your side.
"Whoever said anything about Revenge?" I said slyly looking at her side on letting my black hair fall over my eyes but yet not enough to block my view of her. My mother.
"It has been the only thing on your mind since the day you entered camp." She points out looking at me through narrowed eyes, I do not know why she really came to talk to me, every time I am in Olympus she mentions it but yet she never pressures me into doing anything. Not really, anyway.
"I relent, it has been, but what brings that topic after the prayer I just sent you? I would have thought you'd be saying how delicious the smoke of the cheese was." I say sarcastically but the only reaction I received was her mouth being set into a hard line. She obviously didn't like the way I speaking to her, I will probably pay for that comment later on.
"The fact that in your words, even Lord Ares could hear the bitterness sent up to the Olympians. You are getting impatient. You are talking back, and soon perhaps, you will look for the revenge yourself, despite the fates telling you that you shall find it soon. Have you forgotten the prophecy, my son?" She lectured me with a raised eyebrow. I stared back, not liking how this conversation had turned. It is true. I was sent a prophecy years ago, but that was years ago. What...was it like the first great prophecy where it took 60 years to complete itself? I don't want to be an old man when it does happen...that would bother me..
"It has been seven years, I have a right to be impatient." I mumble to myself but it sounds lame, even to me. By this time, I was losing my confidence, I only lose it around her, she has that effect on me I guess, she can make me a stuttering mess in a matter of minutes. She's done it once. I hated her for it. But yet what could I do? She was paying me back for talking back at her, sometimes I felt like she enjoyed it. Well, considering how I speak to her, I can't exactly blame her, again.
"It will happen before your death."
"You said there is a cure. My death could be of old age, not my...illness..." I shot back scuffing my foot on the ground and she tilted her head at me not liking that I was doubting her word. After a minute of her gaze I glanced at the ground feeling like a child being scolded for stealing the last cookie from the jar.
"There is, and you will find it..after your revenge." She added on to the end and I sighed stepping back.
"Ok...I'll be... patient." I said with a snort but was quickly silenced with the look she gave me. I bit my lip wanting, no begging, for my confidence I had before to come back and make sure I could speak up to my own mother. But no, she had me wrapped around her little finger, god knows where I would be in camp if the people there found out about the fact I was 'mummy's little boy'.
"Good." She murmured. "You will have your time." She said with a sigh and soon I felt the area snap back to camp and I stumbled forward, nearly straight into the fire if I felt hands wrap around my arms pulling me back. Other than my food, it spilled right into the flames and burned to my mother. There's her little revenge for me speaking back to her, I get no dinner.
I looked back to see Annabeth, my half sister, raise an eyebrow at me but I quickly brushed her off and glanced around the place but barely anyone was watching us, it must not have happened for more than a few seconds for the other campers.
"You alright?" She whispered and I nodded with a shrug. "You can have some of mine...if you tell me what just happened." She said with a smirk and I glared at her.
"That's bribing!" I whined as we moved back to Cabin five's table.
"No, it's a deal." She protested and I just looked at her before rolling my eyes and leaning over snatching a slice of the beef and tore a piece off and throwing it into my mouth ignoring her look of disgust.
"Well then...no deal."