Chapter 1: Wake up Call
"And like, he had the nerve to tell me that I was wrong. I mean, those jeans looked horrible on him. He's lucky that I didn't just set the entire wardrobe on fire. You know what I mean?"
I rolled over in my bed. For some strange reason, my sisters did not understand the basic concept of a hangover. I groaned, as the chatter and gossip got louder. As a son of Aphrodite, I should have expected it.
Camp Half-Blood had just started yesterday. I spent the majority of the day helping my sisters move into the cabins and catching up with my friends. At the age of 19, I was probably one of the oldest campers, although the only one not to be a counselor or leader of his cabin. That honor belonged to the high pitched voice sounding in my ear.
"Hey sleepyhead. Get up! We need to get the cabin into breakfast"
That was my sister Noel. She had shoulder-long blond hair, sapphire blue eyes, and high cheekbones. She was tall and fit, the qualities most models had. As a daughter of Aphrodite and a fitness guru, most people expected her to be gorgeous. Most days, she flipped a coin to decide whether she would go straight or curly. I opened my eyes and a curl immediately fell into my face.
So she flipped tails I thought as I slowly started to wake up.
Noel was my sister by blood, rather uncommon at Camp Half Blood. Apparently, Aphrodite cared enough about our father to give birth to two children. I had inherited my father's looks. Messy, dark brown hair, streaked with brown undertones; tan skin; high cheekbones (I figured most demigods had this feature), and his killer smile. It wasn't really a smile. It was more of a tugging of the corners. My sisters constantly mentioned how it had been a safety precaution taken by Aphrodite. From what I could discern from their feverish and quick explanations, pulled from anywhere, if I actually smiled, I would drive most girl at this camp insane.
I remember actually laughing at this crazy notion a few months back, but I kept my smile in check. I only used it when I was flirting, or when she was around.
Pulling myself up, I ran a hand through my messy hair, feeling the knots untangle under my fingertips. I had allowed it to grow out a bit in college. My hair was long enough to have bangs again, and I liked it. Looking the blond girl in the eyes, I kissed her forehead.
"Morning sis. Do you mind getting my shirt?"
Noel and I had always had an interesting relationship. Before finding out that our mother was Aphrodite, we had lived the typical sibling rivalry. She was good at school, while I was a star on the field. Lacrosse had been my sport, ever since I had been beaten out by a certain Grandson of Poseidon on the soccer field. When I earned All-State honors as a Middie, she earned All-State honors for her AP scores. Eventually, our competition reached a climax during the college acceptance season. In the end, we had both gotten accepted into Princeton University, where I would be starting on the NCAA team, and where she had gotten a full academic scholarship. Since then, we became close. She attended my home and a few of my away games. And I helped her out with her papers. By helped out, I mean bring her coffee, food, and anything else she needed. Sometimes she just needed a shoulder to sleep on, but hey I wasn't complaining.
Noel handed me a sea green Henley tee. Putting my arms through the holes, I pulled the shirt over my head. Stumbling out of bed, I walked to the bathroom in my forest green Lax shorts. Being a son of the Goddess of love had its benefits. I always had a group of girls more than anxious to help me look good for a date, and access to every single cologne, shampoo, and after shave I could need. Brushing my teeth, I looked around the counter.
Armani, Givenchy, Where was it? Ah… Here it is.
Reaching for the blue bottle, I sprayed a few spurts into my neck and on my wrist. As I spit out the froth from the toothpaste, I rubbed my wrists together, spreading the scent. I loved CK Free; It had been my favorite cologne ever since my mother gave it to me for my 16th birthday. She called it "A scent made for you". My sister got a similar perfume for her 15th birthday, the same year. To clear up some confusion, my sister might as well been a daughter of Athena. She skipped her freshmen year, after having finished the curriculum during the first month of school. She held back ever since.
I wandered out of the bathroom, mumbling about how annoying sunlight and chatter was. I was stopped by a smiling Noel, who had the cabin clipboard in her hand, taking attendance. As the senior camper, it was supposed to be my job, but the mantle had always been held by a girl. In addition, while my Sister was a morning person, I was more of a party boy. I had gladly given up my duties to her last summer, after waking up on the floor of the Apollo Cabin.
She always had the older sister look. She was the one who organized the cabin sleepovers, which included painting nails, camp gossip, and the occasional chick flick. I memorized Mean Girls line for line; knew the plot of PS I Love You backwards and forwards; and could act out You've Got Mail from open to close. She had also been the girl that most campers looked to when they had to resolve issues. Whether it was family issues at home or maybe a crush on another camper, Noel was there to comfort them and offer encouraging advice. I wasn't sure if it had been a power of Aphrodite, but she always managed to calm the camper down. It resulted in more than a few protective younger 'siblings', who made sure than any boy to make her cry would be sorely punished. Noel, despite her outer shell, never dated. She was the exact opposite of most of the cabin. She never led guys on and made it clear that she was not looking for anything more than friendship. Noel ended up with more than a few suitors, but they quickly turned into close friends. She was the expert of the friendzone.
Checking off each name, Noel glanced up at me.
"Well, it looks like the Prince of the nightlife has decided to join the living" She joked. There were a few snickers from the younger girls. I had drunkenly stumbled into Noel's bed during the night, where was awakened. Being the responsible younger sister, she helped me into my own bunk and tucked me in. I ignored the jab.
"Chiron wants us down for breakfast before morning sessions. Noel will be taking charge of the archery class along with Matt from the Apollo Cabin."
I could have sworn that every girl blushed. Matt was my closest friend from camp. He attended Stanford University and had the typical California guy look. Sandy blond hair, tan skin, blue eyes, and a gorgeous smile. He was basically the anti-thesis of me. He had also stolen the heart of every girl on campus minus a few.
Matt wasn't just a pretty boy. The kid had aced every exam he had ever taken and was the kind of guy who would show up hung over to his finals (Which he had done his freshman year). His shiny pristine 4.0 was almost as awe-inspiring as his spotless tennis record. For as long as he played, he had never lost a match. Stanford recruited him his freshman year of high school, when he had beaten the entire starting squad.
Matt was also dating, a fact that most girls tended to overlook.
"I will be working with Colette from Demeter Cabin for those of you who are interested in gardening."
I heard a few cheers from the girls. Gardening had become a popular pastime ever since Colette had taken to showing the girls how to raise flowers for perfumes and lotions. Colette was Matt's girlfriend of two years. They had met awkwardly after Matt had run through Colette's garden while making a monster catch in a game of pick up football. Matt had stayed to help her fix up the flowers, during which they sparked a romance. Colette was the daughter of a Middle Eastern environmentalist living in Dubai. Her Olive skin accented her beautiful brown eyes. She often times wore a ribbon in her raven hair, which she changed depending on the season. Colette and I had become close after I had volunteered to co-lead the class after her partner went on a mission. We enjoyed the same music, and we both loved to poke fun at Matt. She had gotten into Brown the same year that I started college, and we had Skyped all through the year.
Finishing up the announcements, I led the long walk to the pavilion, where breakfast would be starting. Most of the other cabins had been seated, but the Aphrodite cabin was known to be fashionably late. The other cabins started with catcalls, as we sat down.
"Enough. Campers. Welcome to another Summer at Camp Half Blood" announced Chiron, putting a hoof down to quiet the mass. "Without further ado, Mr. D"
Mr. D was grumpy as usual, but he seemed somewhat happier. "Yada yada yada. Welcome and all that. Hope none of you die. Or I hope that you do. Whatever would be easier."
Chiron whispered into his ear.
"Oh. And the Roman Camp will be sending a few representatives to visit, I will notify camp leaders who will need to make arrangements"
Cheers were heard from the Athena table. Jesse, the leader of the cabin, remained in close contact with the other camp and most likely knew about the news days before Chiron was notified. From the cheers, the Minerva cabin would be visiting. Maybe she would visit…
Breakfast started after Mr. D finished. Bringing my plate to the sacrificial fire, I cut off a choice piece of bacon and ham, before kneeling and offering to the gods.
For Aphrodite… I slide the piece of ham into the flame. The smoke smelled delicious as I waited for the offering to be burnt completely. Normally, a demigod would get up and finish his breakfast, but I was different. Moving the piece of Bacon off of the plate, I muttered "For Athena". My gray eyes watched the meat burn slowly.
Turning around, I met my sister's eyes. She smiled and hugged me. She was proud. Proud that for the first time in over a decade, I had offered a sacrifice to the other goddess in my life. My grandmother. The goddess of Wisdom. Athena.