WRITTEN BY ME AND DREAMSHADOW22452
DISCLAMER: I DON`T OWN PERCY JACKSON
The trees scrape my face as I run through the forest, making scratches on my tan skin. A black crow swoops in close to my head. I duck to avoid it but one of its ebony black feathers gets stuck in my hair. My satchel starts to slip through my fingers and I clutch at it wildly, desperate to keep its contents secret from my pursuer.
I run faster, faster, pushing myself to my limits and yet never tiring. Roots appear out of nowhere, branches reach out to grab me, and I know that Chiron's training is the only thing keeping me on my feet as I duck and dodge. I keep running through the forest. A little stream is approaching. I leap across it but my bag gets torn and the contents spill out. A purple globe falls out and lands in the stream I grab at it but the stream pushes it to follow the current. A woman's shadow appears, disappears and then reappears holding the globe. The figure laughs cruelly, then I wake up and can't help feeling a little guilty, sort of guessing at what that dream could have meant.
I'm the first one awake. I tiptoe out of bed and blindly pick out an outfit, taking care not to wake my cabin mates as I take my time getting changed in the bathroom. One of the first things you learn in the Aphrodite cabin is to use the bathroom when it's available: you never know when you'll get the chance in a cabin full of ridiculously vain beauty queens who can't seem to get enough of their reflections. I often wonder how I can possibly be related to them. I tie my hair up in a french braid and walk outside to view the sunrise. I start to walk toward the poseidon cabin then I turn to go to the the beach. I sit down on the warm sand. I look around a bit, I think I spot a figure in the low light. I go closer and yes, its seems to be the silhouette of a girl. Curious, I walk along the beach until I reach her. I turn to stand right in front of her and clear my throat, but she doesn't notice, she's too absorbed in her book. I walk around her and tap her on the shoulder, she jumps in surprise. I smile and say, "Hi, I'm Piper".
The girl looks like a deer in headlights, her eyes wide and fearful. Colour rises on her cheeks, and I can tell she wasn't expecting company. "I - I know who you are," she stutters.
It's my turn to blush. I hate being reminded of my celebrity, even though I must admit it's nice to be recognized as a hero instead of just another Aphrodite girl.
Since it would be too awkward to leave at this point, I sit down beside her in the sand. "So what's your name?"
"Alex," she whispers. I can tell that she doesn't want to talk, and it kind of makes me wish I'd gone back to my cabin instead of deciding to socialise. But I've seen the girl around camp before: her straight red hair and freckled face are a little hard to miss, despite her best efforts to remain inconspicuous. I can sympathize. And who am I kidding? I'd like a friend who's not an Aphrodite kid. Ever since Annabeth left for Camp Jupiter, I've been lonely.
"So do you do this often? Read here, I mean."
She smiles shyly and nods. "I like it here. It's peaceful."
"Until I came along and ruined it, right?"
She ducks her head to hide a smile. "It's fine," she assures me.
"I can see why you like it."
We sit in silence for a few more minutes, enjoying the view of the water, until she once again finds the courage to speak.
"So what brings you here? If you don't mind my asking, I mean."
I study her. Most of the time, I try to act tough around other campers, and I'm already instinctively coming up with a lie to explain my presence, but something about this girl makes me feel like I can tell her anything. "Nightmares," I admit. "I guess you know about those."
She nods understandingly.
"Well, since it's almost six I guess we should walk over to the mess hall." She nods and gets up, brushing sand off her pants and straightening her glasses. I find myself staring at her as we walk, noticing the way her hair falls over her face, or her mouth quirks up just slightly when I say something she must think is funny. This girl is just so peaceful and innocent, sometimes I wish my life could be simple like hers must be.
At the mess hall I open the doors, surprised so see a few other campers already there. I walk towards the Aphrodite table then look back curiously to see where Alex heads. To my surprise she sits down at the Ares table. My eyes widen in shock. The innocent looking redhead turns to look at me and I immediately try to look natural as if I'd known this all along.
After my breakfast I decide take a walk in the forest. I notice metal scraps glinting on the floor of the forest. I change my path and walk along with the metal scraps till a reach... a statue? Why would there be a statue in the forest? I see movement by the trees and turn. "Who's there?" I shout. I see a flash of fire and one of the branches erupts in flames. Confused, I take a few steps backward, thinking I should head back to camp and alert Chiron. Then I see a plump figure with a bushy beard appear for about a second before disappearing. After a bit of thought, I turn and run back to my cabin.
Now, sitting in bed, I wonder what I should do. Against my better judgement, I haven't told anyone about my find. I've drawn a picture of it in my sketchbook. My drawing skills aren't great, certainly not compared to my friend Hazel's, but I thought it was important to keep some record of it before I forgot. It is the figure of a woman dressed in silk. Her hair is long a nicely draped over her shoulder. She resembles someone I've seen before, but I can't pinpoint the image. It's definitely not my mother, that was my first thought but no, I would recognize her if it was. This statue is of a young girl, she looks as if she's around 8 years old. Suddenly, I drop my sketchbook. I know why I recognize her. That thing was a statue of me...