Chapter 2 The Girl with the Silver Eyes

I moved over to Matt, who had been talking to Colette and her friend, Tiffany, from the Hermes Cabin. About a summer ago, the counselors asked if they could have a staff table, where they would be able to discuss camp matters and coordinate events better. The truth was, we just wanted to be able to gossip and be with our close friends, instead of hanging out with our cabins. As much as we adored the kids, we could get fed up pretty easily.

Matt motioned to my sister Noel, who waved and sat down across from me. Matt and Noel had become incredibly close ever since they were assigned a quest together.

"So how's school?" Matt asked before chomping down on a side of ham.

"You know. Same old. Classes to go to. Lectures to listen to. Tests to ace. And annoying lacrosse players to deny" replied Noel.

I laughed. Several of my teammates had started to hit on my sister, who showed up to every game in one of my old jerseys. During the game, she had to consistently ignore the sultry looks she was getting from the players on the field and focus on whatever book was in her Kindle.

"Hey! It's not my fault that you accidently told the team that you were in love with the star player" I teased. Noel had let it slip that she loved the star middie to one of her friends. Word spread quickly throughout the campus that Noel, the girl who never dated, was interested in someone. The entire guys team took this opportunity and started to each announce their love for my sister. She quickly rectified her statement. She "loved the star middie like a brother because he was her brother", she corrected. Needless to say, most of the squad were embarrassed and took turns checking me during practice as payback.

Matt snickered and Colette gave me a knowing smile. Tiffany gave me short glance before looking away. Tiffany had a crush on me. Ever since two summers ago, when we had finished up a quest to the Underworld together, she confessed to me in the way only a 15 year old could confess to a 17 year old. She told me that she had always liked me and that she wished that I had to same feelings. I told her that I didn't. Tiffany was a younger sister to me; someone that I would give my life to protect. She never got over that crush, but she remained my friend. I winced at the memory. Noel and I were too good at the friendzone.

Tiffany piped up and asked for the salt for her scrambled eggs. Handing the shaker to her, our hands briefly touched, and she blushed. She let go of the shaker before the exchange was made and it clattered to the table. I swept the salt off of the table and screwed the cap back on. She avoided my eyes and thanked me. If it were any other girl, I'd smile and tell her that it was okay, but I frowned. Tiffany was honestly a very nice girl, and she'd be treated like a queen by any other guy. Her black hair fell in front of her almond eyes, her brown eyes beautiful in the sun light. She was gorgeous, and there was no getting around it. She just wasn't the girl for me. She took the shaker firmly and dosed her eggs before setting it down beside her. She flashed me her signature eye smile, trying to assure me that everything was alright.

Just as I was about to smile back, my world went back, and I heard the most beautiful voice.

"Guess who?"

I smirked.

"Jessica. You need to try harder than that"

Gray eyes met silver eyes. The girl before me frowned slightly.

"Jesse told me that you had totally forgotten about me." She pouted.

"I would never forget you. How was work with the Hunters?" I inquired.

"Oh you know. It was fun and all, but I don't know how they can give up boys." Jessica responded.

She sat next to me, her bar code tattoo visible right on the nape of her neck. Her symbol was a pair of owl wings, cut through by 8 bars, symbolizing the 8 years of service she had at Camp Roman. Her amber hair flowed off her right shoulder. She kept it longer than normal. I guessed it was because she had no boys to avoid with the Hunters. She joked about going like Natalie Portman in V for Vendetta, but I would never let her. Her hair was what made her beautiful. Besides her high cheek bones and pale skin, she looked similar to Artemis, which had first inspired her to spend a year with the Hunters. Jessica was Jesse's counterpart at the Roman camp. Daughter of Minerva. Praetor. She was everything a guy could want… and unfortunately taken.

I copied her frown "How's your boyfriend?" I asked just out of formalities.

"Leon is doing well. He's coming later today. He had to finish up a few mission briefings in New Rome before he could leave." Leon was the Son of Mars and he looked the part. Brown hair, buff body. He and I had played Lacrosse against each other multiple times. Leon was 20 and a sophomore at Duke, where he played Long Stick Defender. We had both been named All-American and our tandem of block and score was unstoppable. Leon and I had gone on the first ever cross camp mission last summer. It was on that mission that he told me that he had started to date Jessica. I had been jealous for the entire year. Noel tried to comfort me, but her charm speak could hardly work. I spent most of the school year in the gym, where I had honed my middie skills to be the top in the country. I wanted Jessica to notice me, but all I got in return was a soft smile and the occasion email and phone call. We were close friends, but there was a wall.

I felt my heart break a bit. It was a warning that my mother had told me. Sons of Aphrodite fell hard in love and our bodies felt it. I had to take godly medication to make sure that I didn't spontaneously faint when I saw them kissing. It was tough, but someone had to live that life.

I glanced over at my sister, who was glancing at the pale girl to my right. I shook my head, and she frowned. Noel hated Leon, and she would rather us get together. I was too scared to tell her my feelings and too guilty to steal her away from Leon.

Stirring my coffee, I looked up into the cloudless sky. Hey Mom? Can you send me a girl?

For a moment, I thought that she had heard me, but nothing happened. I sighed and turned to the rest of the table.

"Capture the flag is tomorrow. What should we do?"

The entire table had been filled with counselors. They looked up at me. Hoping that I had an idea on what the division should be between the teams. We all knew the alliances that had been made, but it had become camp tradition to share the knowledge, so we could make even teams.

"Well. As usual, Aphrodite allies itself with Athena, Hephaestus, and Demeter" spoke Noel confidently.

Matt nodded, "That leaves Apollo, Ares, Hermes, Eros, and Nemisis". He counted on his fingers, leaving out the obvious Big Three.

The big Three had descendants, but they were busy. The Jackson kids were off questing. The di Angelos were with their father in the Underworld visiting their granddad. The only possibility of one of them showing up was the son of Jason Grace from the Roman camp.

"Max won't be coming," Jessica mentioned "He's stuck at camp, while the two other praetors are here". She was referring to the legendary Maximillian Grace, the final Praetor of the Roman Camp, as well as the grandson of Jupiter.

Max was the splitting image of his father. Short blond hair, stormy blue eyes. Max, despite his cold demeanor, was actually quite friendly. He visited us plenty during the school year, and we loved his company. He lit up any room he went into, which included the Underworld Throne Room. It was a shame that he couldn't make it to camp; all of the Aphrodite girls loved him.

"Well, that keeps the teams even", I decided. "It's really up to the other cabins if they wanted to participate. I looked at Mia, the leader of the Hectate cabin.

Mia, brushed a few strands of her pink hair out of her eyes, "We will be sitting out. Most of us went to that Macklemore concert last night in Upstate and we are still exhausted."

Mia was a rebel type. She dyed her hair with streaks of pink, which clashed with her green eyes. She had gone from my worst enemy, to my best friend, to something more than a friend, and after a crazy summer during which we almost never left her cabin, back to best friends.

I could tell Tiffany still held a grudge against her. Tiffany had caught us in the act, when she innocently knocked on the Hectate cabin door to ask for some herbs for poisonous frogs. Tiffany glared; her brown eyes caught a tint of gold, which happened whenever she was not in control of her emotions.

"Alright then. So that leaves the cabins that did sign up" I sighed. This coordination had gone a lot easier than I had planned. Usually, Matt and I argued over the teams, especially when one of the Hermes kids pulled a fast one and offset the alliances.

I finished up my waffles, leaving my plate covered in chocolate syrup. Noel looked up from her plate, similarly empty except with strawberry sauce.

"Well the Aphrodites are finished with our breakfast," I announced "We're off to classes."

Colette looked up from her food "Hey Sam, do you mind if Tiffany comes along with us? Canoeing was cancelled on account of repairs"

I smiled. "Of course, if the daughter of Hermes accepts."

"Offer accepted" Tiffany giggled as she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. She took my extended hand as I helped her up from her seat. Tiffany tripped and fell into my arms, earning more than a few angry glares from the female campers scattered around the pavilion. Even Jessica looked… was it jealousy? Or was it just her being lost in her thoughts again.

I shook the thoughts away. Focusing more on Tiffany's outfit, I gasped. When she was sitting down, I failed to notice that she was wearing a slim fitting flower dress with matching naked pumps. She looked great; it was obvious that a year of track at University of Virginia was good for your figure. She noticed my gawking and took my hand in hers.

As a son of Aphrodite, I fell for girls quickly, which I cursed under my breath. Hoping that my face wasn't on fire, I nodded towards the rest of the table, waving goodbye to my friends with my free hand. "See you guys".

Jessica got up and walked over to me.

"I'm coming with you. We need to catch up and I have nothing else to do before Leon gets here anyway".

I groaned

"The garden is going to be super crowded."

"I don't see anything wrong with that" piped Colette. She always loved having more people in the garden. She had the ability to expand her mother's garden into any size she wanted, which was especially good for the large crowds that gathered when she hosted gardening seminars.

I almost pleaded with Colette with my eyes. Please don't let Jessica come with us. You know how Aphrodite sons are with cute girls.

Colette raised an eyebrow, almost reading my thoughts. She glared back with an expression that almost said Well you shouldn't have latched onto Tiffany now should you.

Tiffany flashed an eye-smile and then pouted.

"Please? We never get to hang out anymore" she cooed, almost ignoring Jessica.

I cursed my luck and submitted to their wishes.

"Alright. We'll go together. But I am absolutely not responsible for anything that happens with 2 counselors."

I almost heard fanfare as Jessica and Tiffany both lit up irrespective of the other.

This was going to be a long day.