Chapter 1

"Cassandra!" I heard a sharp hissing even though it was three in the morning. "Cassandra, get up!" I herd someone snap. I raised my head off of my pillow and saw a girl standing over me.

"Kasey, what are you doing up? It's three in the morning?" I asked. She smiled and I had no idea how she was always so vivacious.

"I got good news!" she exclaimed. I groaned and turned over. Let me tell you, Kasey was one of my best friends but when she came into the Aphrodite cabin at three in the morning to tell me something that was just annoying and it happened a lot.

"What's up Kasey?" I sighed.

"I got a boyfriend!" she said jumping up and down excited. I rolled my eyes and shoved my face down into the pillow again and repressed tears of envy. Kasey was gorgeous guys would drop like fly's for her. She was skinny and tall. Her hazel eyes glowed in the moonlight and her dirt blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders. It was not fair. I was the daughter of Aphrodite. I was supposed to be the pretty one. I wanted to scream or cry. Instead I put on a brave face for Kasey.

"That's awesome!" I said but Kasey looked shocked then recoiled. She knew me. She knew everything.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't of come in here like this. I know the thing with you and Apollo is still fresh."

"Let's not talk about it." I snapped. She shrunk back. Camp was not my favorite place. No, let me rephrase. I hated it here. I hated being claimed by my mother, I hated that all my sisters detest me, I hated that I only had two friends and neither of them had any grasp on what it was lie to be me. I hated that two years ago I had dated a god and I hated that I'd let my mortal father and goddess mother find out. I hated that I'd never tried to talk to Apollo after I got dragged of to camp and I hated the food here.

"If you want to talk about it-"

"I don't."

"But if you did-"

"Drop it would you, Kasey." I said sternly and she nodded. She went to sit on my bed.

"His name is Andrew." she said after a while. I groaned but Kasey was back off in dreamland. "He's the son of Ares but he's not like the others. He's kind, sweet, nice, loyal…Oh, Cassandra! It's so romantic!" She said and my stomach turned. My face must have turned to because Kasey stopped and did something that surprised me a little. She hugged me.

"I'll stop. Ok? I'm so sorry about that. I know how you feel about guys now. I was getting carried away." She said still embracing me. Tears started to form in my eyes.

"He didn't even say good-bye, Kasey. He swore he loved me. He swore-"

"What is that racket?" another voice asked. I whipped the tears on my tee shirt and saw Kyra Sawyer. Head counselor for the Aphrodite cabin. Kasey groaned noticeably.

"Jesus, Kyra. What are you doing up? You need your beauty rest!" Kasey shot at her. Kyra scoffed.

"Please. I don't need sleep to be amazing. Your friend on the other hand-"

"You talk about Cassandra again like that and you'll find yourself asking mommy dearest for plastic surgery discounts." Kasey said jumping to my defense.

"You could be popular, Kasey. Why do you stick with that-that-thing?" Kyra asked and I bit my lip. I knew that it was true. I knew that Kasey sacrificed a lot for me. Kasey stuck her tongue out at Kyra.

"Aren't you a Poseidon kid? What are you doing in MY cabin?" Kyra asked. Kasey scoffed.

"What is Kirk Arkansas doing here?" I quipped, looking up from my sheet covers. Kyra stood there speechless.

"Kirk's not here! He's back in Nike cabin. You know that, Cassandra." She said, knowing very well what I was going to say next.

"Well, word travels fast in the Aphrodite cabin. He doesn't need to be here. You know that, Kyra." I said mocking her tone. Kasey laughed. I cracked a smile. Kirk was her boyfriend and they had been caught in the cabin on multiple occasion.

"Don't you dare." she said. "Be nice and quite like you always are."

"Is that what you were when you told the entire camp about my little-um-mishap when I came to camp?" I shot, unable to stop now.

"Please, Cassandra! You were dating a god! I had to tell!"

"Did you have to tease me?" I yelled. Kasey grabbed my shoulders. "Did you have to pit the whole camp against me?" I screamed, some kids woke up. Kasey yanked me up and gently guided me to the door. I was crying now. Salty tears trickled down my face at the memories of everything.

"You can stay the night with me, ok?" she said. I smiled and nodded.

"You're the best, Kasey." I said.

"I'll go get Texas." she said and she looked down at my pale face. I nodded. Texas was daughter of Eris and had a temper like no one else. If she heard about last night, she'd got ballistic on Kyra. I grinned at the thought. Kasey led me to the Poseidon cabin. Percy was there. He looked up and smiled at Kasey.

"Hey, Flicker. Hey, Cassandra." He said and didn't even bother asking why I was here. Probably because it was a variation of the same scene over and over most every night. Kasey smiled at Percy.

"Hey, Percy. Cassandra's is going to-"

"Stay here for the night. Got it." He said and Kasey gave him a death glair. Since they were the only two one's who shared the cabin. I sat down on one of the bunks and Percy started to chat.

"How's the leg, Cassandra?" He asked in reference to the leg that I had hurt trying to escape from this prison.

"It's fine, Percy. How's Annabeth?" I asked.

"She's fine."

"I'm going to actually attempt to salvage the night and get some sleep." I responded and lay down in one of the bunks. Percy nodded and went back to listening to music and playing with the water in the silver fountain. I yawned and thought about the trouble I'd be in tomorrow because I'd broken about seven of the rules in one night. Kasey walked back in with three people. Texas, Nicole, and Andrew. I decided to fake sleep so I could get out of the pity talk. Kasey wasn't having any of it.

"Get up, Cassandra." She said and I did. Texas smirked.

"I swear. I'm getting' happy jus' thinkin' bout' it. I'm going to beat the Hades outta' that Aphrodite-" Nicole cut her off.

"Lets not." She said. Nicole was Kasey's best friend and a dryad but we all hung out with her sometimes.

"Oh I will!" Texas promised and we all rolled our eyes at her. Texas was a hothead and we all had gotten used to it. Andrew looked kindly at me and I glared at him. He didn't seem to care.

"I'm Andrew. You must be Cassandra. Kasey talks a lot about you for the thirteen hours I've known her." I chuckled.

"Kasey talks a lot when you REALLY get to know her." I said good-naturedly. Kasey laughed. Andrew smiled at me.

"Your not like the Ares campers." I said. He nodded.

"Thanks. I try not to shove people's head's down toilet bowls." He added. Texas smirked, probably because that was her idea of a fun time.

"What's wrong with shoving people's heads down toilet bowls?" she asked. Nicole laughed and we all joined her. Suddenly the door burst open. Chiron was standing there with Kyra and Kirk. I clenched my fists.

"What's going on here?" the head counselor asked. Texas looked at Kirk and Kyra and behind Chiron's back she made a slit motion across her throat and mouthed dead. They smiled sweetly.

"It was all her fault, Chiron!" Kasey yelled.

"And how is that so, Ms. Kasey?" he asked.

"Well you see she was harassing Cassandra and-"

Is this true, Cassandra?" he asked. I nodded.

"They ratted us out." I said meekly.

"Rat? Like you're so called boyfriend? Herd he left you waiting here. Ditched you didn't he Cassandra." Kirk said brutally and I bit my lip. Rage was filling me up.

"You-" I started but Kirk went on.

"Look at your hair, have you ever herd of a brown haired child of Aphrodite?" he asked mock sweetly and I did something that I'd never though I'd do. I got up and o hit him. He toppled back and fell over. Texas covered her mouth and started to laugh. Everyone else just looked shocked, me included. After a few minutes Chiron spoke.

"Mr. D?" He called and the wine god appeared. "Would you please take Ms. Cassandra Anderson back to her cabin. I'd like a word with the rest of them. Mr. D walked me out as we were walking I started to talk.

"Kasey didn't do a thing. Neither did Texas, Nicole, or Andrew. It's all me, Kyra, and Kirk."

"It most certainly is, Sandra Planderson." He scolded.

"Cassandra Anderson." I corrected, knowing exactly how the conversation was going to go.

"How did it feel?" he asked.

"What?"

"To punch Kirk? I'd do it myself if I weren't a director here."

"It felt good." I said and Dionysus winked at me. "Tell Poppy Grey I said Hi."

"I will. Get some sleep, Zandra Randerson." He said and I winked back but when I went into my cabin I muffled a loud scream with my pillow. It was official. I hated Kyra and Camp Half Blood