Loneliness and Being Alone

A.N. Hi reader,

Thanks for having a look at my story, I hope you enjoy it. It is very short and I'm not really sure why I wrote it but maybe you can tell me what you thought? Enjoy...

Introverts tend to be fine with being alone, even flourishing in solitude, and Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano was no exception. On the way to Camp Jupiter, after parting with her sister, she might not have seen another person for days on end, and any meetings that did occur were usually brief - a quick encounter with a dog walker in the woods, for example. Although this way of life would have been hell for many people, Reyna was proud, slow to trust, and at ease with her own thoughts, and with these qualities came an ability to not be lonely on her own.

What many extroverts fail to understand is that there is a huge difference between being alone, and being lonely. Being alone can be quiet and peaceful, for Reyna: a time to mull over all she'd been through, and try to formulate a plan for her future. Solitude meant not pretending to be someone she wasn't, like at Circe's spa, or worrying about her father's rage, like in San Juan, and it brought a freedom and ease to her mindset. In short: she loved it!

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Years later, she finally appreciated what it was like to be lonely. It had nothing to do with the number of people you were in contact with, instead, it depended on the people who understood you, that you felt at ease with, or who could help you with what was troubling you. If you needed those people, and didn't have them - that was loneliness. On the other hand, it was perfectly possible to be alone, and - if you didn't need someone to lean on - not be lonely.

With Jason gone, and half the camp loyal to Octavian (attacking her by default), she was surrounded by people, but many of them were hostile, and even most those that weren't could hardly be called friends. Existing with no one to confide in, and a pile of stress built up inside her that was only getting worse as time trudged on was almost definitely not good for her. She did have a few friends/people who took pity on her, but she didn't feel confortable enough to explain her problems to them, and she doubted they'd understand even if she did. This was loneliness, and it was not the same as being alone.