The camp had an eerie quietness. Every now and then a sob would slip out, or maybe someone would cough, but that was about it.
A large group of campers sat on the Cabin 9 porch. Jake Mason walked out of his cabin.
"It's no use. She locked herself in the bathroom." A few exasperated sighs were let out. The group proceeded to join everyone else at a large room in the Big House.
A large amount of guilt hung in the air as everyone thought of the things they'd never said or done. The things they'd never get to say or do. No one was smiling, or showing the smallest trace of any emotion other than grief. Chiron walked to the front of the campers and looked out over the crowd. Even he was overwhelmed by the tragedy. Chiron's eyes asked Jake a question, to which Jake shook his head. Chiron began the service.
"Death is an interesting factor. It can do a world of good or it can cause great distress. Sometimes you wish for someone to drop dead, and there are others you want to live forever. Charles Beckendorf definitely fell in the latter group." Cue a shriek/wail from the Aphrodite table. Silena got up and walked to the back of the room, resting her head against the door frame. Jake also got up and slowly and sympathetically patted Silena. Chiron continued.
"There are many things we will never forget about him. The smile that could light up anyone's day, his positive thinking, his bravery." At that, Percy found a sudden interest in his shoes. Annabeth squeezed his hand, tears falling from her eyes every few seconds. "Beckendorf was also extremely talented. His work was always a masterpiece. The creativity he had was beyond our knowledge."
In the midst of everything, no one heard a faint click from the other side of camp. No one heard a cabin door open and close. No one heard a secret passage in the Big House that revealed another door to the service room. "Beckendorf is survived by his siblings, his friends, his father, and his girlfriend. He will forever be in our hearts. Let's take a moment of silence to remember Beckendorf."
Chiron noticed. He noticed the hysterical, sixteen year old girl in the secret passage. He didn't expect her to break down, though. She walked to the closed, empty coffin that was in honor of her brother.
"Did you ever finish our project, Beck?" She managed to say. A few campers looked up. The girl jerked her head up and walked over to the wall, then she pounded her fist furiously on a map of the US. Specifically on a certain body of water.
"He can't breathe. He can't swim. He's drowning." The tears were uncontrollable now. "And where's his tools? He always said he couldn't do anything without his tools!" Jake advanced toward his little sister, laying a hand on her arm. She yanked her arm away.
"Give him his tools! He's not happy without them!" Jake attempted to hug his sister, but she struggled against him. Everyone was watching now.
"He was going to finish our project. He was going to graduate. He was going to be a professional builder. He was going to propose-"
"He's gone." Jake's voice was hoarse as he tried to calm his sister down.
The girl nearly screamed in frustration. She ran to the back of the room.
"Nyssa!" Jake called. She ignored him and sprinted even faster.
Nyssa pushed past Silena and ran out the doors. Silena was hot on her heels the whole time. Nyssa picked up the pace and finally made it to her cabin. She collapsed onto Beckendorf's bed, sobbing uncontrollably. Silena sat down next to her, rubbing Nyssa's back with a mother's touch.
"It's not fair. It's not fair." Nyssa kept mumbling that in between her sobs.
Silena would whisper back, "I know. I know." It wasn't fair. Not to anyone.
Just a short story I've had saved for a while. Not sure if it's any good, but oh well. It's out here. Thank you to those that pre-read it and gave me tips. R&R!