The moment seemed to pass simultaneously in slow-motion and in the blink of an eye.
It had been a normal night around the campfire, demigods cheerfully singing twisted greek versions of songs that echoed faintly from a childhood long gone. The fire was soaring and searing, a reflection of the merriment and anticipation the campers felt for the game that would follow soon after the joviality of the fireside event had died down to smoking embers.
Lacy had been sitting with the majority of the other unclaimed members of cabin twelve, who she had been spending most of her time with for the past two weeks since her arrival in awkward silence, with the occasional interruption of forced conversation. What little attention she usually gave to the other kids was gone now; her mind had gotten lost in the twisting and crackling of the flame before her, tuning out the bawdy chantey rising from the throats of energetic campers. As the song continued, however, Lacy began to question the source of a red light that seemed to not be coming from the fire, but an entirely different place. It took her a moment to realize that the source of the light was her.
She burst into a panic, scrambling off of the log and frantically looking back and forth at her now-glowing petite limbs. She vaguely heard a loud cheer erupt nearby out of what she finally realized had been quiet, shocked murmurings.
Lacy froze, the stark reality of the situation dawning on her. She had seen this happen to a young boy the day she had arrived: the same warm rose glow and the complete silence, as if the breath of everyone had been stolen straight from their lungs. Terrified of what she would inevitably see when she raised her head, all the cabins she might have had a chance in, the ones where she may have fit in or felt like she belonged or had a family for once ran through her head. Taking a deep breath, she flicked her eyes upwards.
Aphrodite.
The dove loomed above her like death warrant, sentencing her to a lethal fate. Of all the godly mothers that could have bore her, it had to have been Aphrodite. The goddess of love and beauty, the paradigm of perfection and everything Lacy was not. She could imagine it now, her cabin turning up their noses and abandoning her the second they got a good look. Being embarrassed to have such an ugly runt among their alluring ranks. Shunning and ignoring her until she broke down and gave in.
Lacy felt her throat close up and her body clench, and suddenly she wasn't by the fire. She could see the things around her happening, but couldn't connect it with reality. It was as if the section of her brain that allowed her to process information and act on thoughts had been turned off. With what little self control she still held, she pushed hot tears back. The only way she could make her situation any worse was if she embarrassed both herself and her cabin the moment she was claimed.
Her spell was broken by a pair of warm arms and a head of thick, ebony hair. She started, but relaxed as the figure pulled away to reveal a beautifully sculpted face that Lucy was able to recognize as the head of the Aphrodite cabin. The girl gave Lacy a dazzling smile with her pearlescent teeth, and tears seemed to be welling in her eyes as well, though Lacy imagined it was for a drastically different reason than her own.
"Welcome to Aphrodite," the cabin leader whispered, warmth and kindness infused into every word, every syllable, "it seems you've joined just in time for Capture the Flag."