Mia:
I looked back down at the acceptance letter. Alpha Island? How did this happen? I'm just the daughter of Hades that everyone seems to hate or fear. Maybe even both. This couldn't be happening. I didn't get along with anyone much. I have a few friends, the perfect Medea, beyond smart Malcolm, Annabeth, and Percy. My boyfriend, James, says the only reason I don't get along with people is because I don't try. He's probably just trying to get me to shut up and kiss him, but it sounds happy. And I'm going for the happy version. I leaned back on the sand to stare up at the clouds. It was a pretty day.
I had no choice. I was going. It was a great opportunity. One he would have told me to chase after. If he had been here, he would be rejoicing that I got in, and we'd be pigging out on sour gummy worms and watching all my favorite movies until we fell asleep in the lake keep house that our friendship had dibs on. Now, he was gone. He was dead. In the bottom of the ocean, never to know that all these years I was in love with him. Never for me to know if he felt the same way or he really did love Silena. Beckendorf would be… it doesn't matter what he would be. He won't. Becky died, leaving his two best friends to cope without him, something that feels impossible.
"How'd you do?" Malcolm ran to plop down on the sand beside me. I managed a smile.
"I'm not telling," I wriggled up and ran off from the beach to run away from the blonde. Malcolm is truly great. Sometimes it seems like he's better than my boyfriend. Uh-oh. James and I were going to the same school next year. We won't be doing that, and I know James. He gets jealous when he found out that Malcolm and I fell asleep in the Lake Keep House, even when he knew Medea was there with us, and she would have told if anything happened. I can assure you, considering she's basically running the 'Mia and Malcolm' couple campaign. James can't handle me off in Alpha Island with a bunch of talented guys all around me, especially considering how I happen to know the brothers. That in itself is another story. One I'll tell later.
"Oh you come back here," Malcolm jumped up. I'll warn you. I can't run, and he can. I knew he'd win, but it's worth the fun. Malcolm's dad has to go to Egypt, touring around with his job, and he was going to stay with me and my mom. Now, I guess he'll be here. We need the last few summer moments. This is our sophomore year. Annabeth and Percy are enjoying their senior. I remember Percy trying to sign up, but she wouldn't let him with the fact she had to work on Olympus. Maybe he sent this in as he did totally hate my boyfriend. Everyone seems to these days. Even Beck hated him, and this was before I even started dating him. I used to really like James, but I don't know anymore… At first, everything was broken. I succumbed into darkness, and he was the one who got me out. He just isn't the same anymore. He stopped being my Beckendorf. He stopped being the one to make smile and the one I ran to. I wonder if it's even worth it anymore.
"And I'll be taking this," Malcolm caught up to me to look at the golden sheet of paper. His grey eyes read the words as fast as lightning strikes. I tried not to look at him as I knew he might get upset. I then noticed the golden letter in his back pocket. Feeling the heat from my cheeks relent for a plan, I quickly plotted my moves as it wouldn't be long before he had read mine. Shifting to where my hand was out of his sight, I slowly reached for the letter until I was able to snatch it away. Malcolm's grey eyes shot up from my letter to watch as I read the letter.
"Malcolm, what did you do?" I crossed my arms to look at the blonde as he raised his hands in the air before turning back to watch the lake lap against the shore. The sun was about to set, and most everyone was off in their cabins getting some rest from the busy day. So, the water was about all you could actually hear. I'm sure that if you stepped into the cabin area it would be loud and crazy, but here it was peaceful and quiet.
"I didn't do it," he started out, probably so I wouldn't zap him with a fire ball.
"Really, Malcolm Harris? The perfect school for him and his best friend? Excuse me, but that sounds exactly like something you'd do," I pointed out, forgetting how jealous James got when Malcolm and I were alone together, and I'm not just being paranoid. He has the Aphrodite girls spying for him, and they're always down here for the water's sea air to soak into their skin.
"Yes, Mia Parker, I'm sure. Our little singer did it," Malcolm turned back to show off a cocky smile. I should have known. I was about to turn around to go find that daughter of Nike when Malcolm caught my arm.
"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to wriggle out of his grasp, but it was no use. He's a son of Athena. They now just where to hold you so you can't get away.
"Medea told me to keep you away from her until you had calmed down," he shrugged as if it were that easy.
"Well, you and I both know that could be days, and at the minimum it would be at least until lunch tomorrow," I would have crossed my arms had he not been holding it back. I tried to summon the heat to burn his hand on my arm as Nico had taught me, but I was too weak from visiting my dad down in the underworld. Instead, all I managed to do was make myself feel feverish and almost faint. My knees started to almost wobble.
"Come on. Let's get you to the Keep," Malcolm lessened his grip to where if I had been at normal strength, I could have broken free of it, but I couldn't. Instead, I weakly followed him across the sand dunes as he led me to the Lake Keep House. It was small, and we probably wouldn't have paid any attention to it had Becky not fixed it up before his untimely death. It was rickety to such an extent it would have fallen down ages ago if we hadn't worked on it. It used to be a whole lot bigger until Malcolm and I had a fight, and my anger flared up producing a fire. We didn't actually make up because we forgot about the fight to fix this place. I was known for continuously messing up. Through the dingy white door, a couch sat in front of a flat screen TV.A coffee table littered with Medea's magazines, my CD's, and Malcolm's books, a mini fridge topped with a microwave, a few bunk beds bolted to the wall from olden times, packs of cards preparing for a Malcolm and Mia card house building spectacular to take place again, a desk topped with a mirror and Medea's make-up, and a secret stash of hair dye incase Medea's roots started showing or I got bored with my hair filled the once cabin. It used to be an extension of the Hermes around the time of the 'Baby Boom', but it was eventually forgotten for us to find it. Before Beckendorf's death, we spent more times here than in our cabins, but, now that he is, we're just getting back in here, one year later.
"Why are you smiling?" I asked feeling my words on the brink of slurring and my body weaken by the moment. A few months ago, Percy fell sick, like dying sick. Nothing could save him anymore. I was the only thing they could try, and it was risky. I had to give him part of my life-force. He healed up immediately, but I was confirmed to the infirmary for almost a week. Percy and I can't get too close anymore as if we do, my life-force will try to return to me, killing both of us. Malcolm didn't leave the infirmary for almost that entire time. Ever since then, he became like my guardian, making sure I didn't do anything life or death stupid. I knew he wouldn't be happy to see this.
"You're boyfriend saw us," his smile grew as if picturing my boyfriend getting madder by the second, which he probably was.
"Of course he did," I sighed. I usually would have gone and run off to talk to him, but a migraine was forming. Malcolm could obviously tell as he had me lay down on the couch. I didn't resist and just pulled the blanket we left on it up. Malcolm returned a second later, handing me a Tylenol and sprite.
"Where are you going?" I asked as I noticed he wasn't taking off his grey jacket. A sudden pained ripped through me as I heard the loud snap of opening the canned drink.
"It's almost dinner. I'll go ahead and tell them you don't feel good. I'll be back in about an hour," Malcolm told me, making sure his voice was quiet so my migraine wouldn't get worse.
Instead of actually speaking, I nodded. If I was going to have to calm down from Medea not telling me, face my mad boyfriend, call my mom, call my brother, and survive the final Capture the Flag tomorrow, I need my strength. Before he had even made it out the door, I was practically asleep already.