Hellloooooooooooooo everybody! You enjoying? I hope you are! I'll be trying to post a new chapter once every week, but I'm a bit swamped with homework, so I might be late here and there, so don't murtalize ma face!
Anyway, thanks for the reads, love you guys, please leave a comment (no flames, if you will) and read!
I returned to the Hermes cabin, going to my bunk while the other kids laughed. This time, Luke didn't listen when I tried to tell him to let me handle it. He ordered, "Next one that laughs gets the honor of cleaning the cabin."
That shut them up. I swear, the Hermes kids were pigs. Then again, I probably would be too if I had anything to be messy with. All I had were a few changes of clothes under my bunk.
Still, everyone was staring at me, glaring as I leaned over to grab a new shirt and jeans... and my bag was gone. I straightened and yelled, "Who in Hades took my bag?"
Everyone seemed to be holding in laughter except Luke, who looked less than amused. "Guys, give her the bag."
No one could argue with Luke, but they could pretend they were innocent. He said again, more coldly, "Give. Her. The. Bag."
Suddenly, it was scary how serious Luke was. From the other side of the room, my bag skidded across the floor. Luke gave a nod and turned back to his own bunk. Not even the other Hermes kids were stupid enough to steal from Luke. He was pretty chill... until you got on his bad side.
I quickly went to the bathroom, changed clothes, and returned to find that new kid- Percy Jackson- was back.
Luke was saying, "- we take care of each other."
I came into the cabin to say, "Yeah, that's why we get shoved around by each other, too."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Rav, come on."
I slipped past and said, "Hey, just sayin'. Would I have just gone diving for my knives if your- oh, sorry, our family hadn't tossed it in."
Percy gave me a strange look, as if trying to figure out something about me. Good luck with that.
As I sat down at my bunk, I could here Luke mutter to Percy, "Sorry about Raven. She's just lonely."
Percy murmured back, "Seems more like she's angry. At me."
Luke shook his head and assured, "Maybe she's angry, but not at you. She doesn't get along with many others at camp."
Percy gave me a sympathetic glance and I rolled my eyes. I didn't need his pity. I didn't want it, either. I stopped listening, laying back on my bunk. Percy didn't get it anymore than Luke did. Despite my "big brother," I was alone. I had very few classes with Annabeth, and I could never hang out with Luke during sessions. He had the entire cabin to oversee. He didn't need my sorry butt behind him.
I lay there, staring at the top bunk, trying to block out my thoughts as the conch horn cut through my thoughts. I could help but smile. It was almost over. One more day closer to... well, I didn't know what, but something had to happen sooner or later. Preferably sooner.
"Eleven, fall in!"
I stood just behind Luke, the new kid in the very back, of course. I was technically the longest resident of the Hermes cabin, but I even if I wasn't a freak, you had to know your godly parent. Besides, everyone loved Luke. He was a great leader. Why else would my "sister" Annabeth have a crush on him?
As we came up to the pavilion, we sat down at the Eleven table, me somehow getting sidelined next to Percy, but not before Andrew tried to casually push me off backward as he walked by. I yelped and fell off, laying on my back while half the camp snickered, Chiron frowning at me. Red as a cherry, I crawled back into my seat, squeezing between Percy and Luke.
Percy frowned. "Are they always like that to you?"
I scowled and snapped, "Don't you have a bathroom to explode?"
Percy's scowl suddenly matched mine. Luke interrupted, "Both of you, cut it out. Chiron's-"
"To the gods!"
I grabbed my glass and raised it late as everyone echoed, "To the gods!"
The wood nymphs came out with their platters of food, and I said to my cup, "Pepsi." The dark liquid filled my cup and I took a swig.
I heard Percy say, "Blue Cherry Coke." and I set down my glass. Blue?
Percy got a thoughtful look on his face as he sipped his specially ordered blue drink, and I was pretty sure I knew what was going through his mind. The Underworld. His mother. Before I could say anything though, Luke said, "Here you go Percy, Raven."
We each took some of the smoked brisket from the platter, everyone at the table standing except Percy. Just as I was about to snap at him to get up, I realized I'd been a bit of a jerk. No wonder nobody liked me.
I tried to sound a bit nicer as I said, "Follow us, Percy."
He stood hesitantly and followed, getting in line with us. I told him, "It's a burnt offering. The gods like the smell of it."
"You're kidding."
"Just wait and see."
As it was my turn, I tossed in the best roll and thought, 'Please, whoever you are. I can't wait forever. Whatever the reason for not claiming me yet... Just forget about it and give me something to be proud of.'
Tears sprung up in the corners of my eyes, but I moved on before anyone could see.
I caught a whiff of the smoke and breathed in deeply. Gods, it smelled good. I wasn't much for girly things, but this would be a good perfume.
We returned to our seats and dug in. Strangely, Percy actually wanted to talk to me. "So, how long have you been here?"
I took a bite of my brisket and said, "Six years."
Percy's eyes widened. "But you can't be older than me!"
"Don't think I am. Then, again, for all I know, I'm thirty."
Percy stared at me. "You're not serious."
"Hey, I don't know how old I am. Chiron thinks I'm twelve, but I really just don't know."
Percy gave me a sympathetic look and my temper flared. "I don't need your pity-"
"No, I... Okay, yeah I feel bad, but I wasn't going to rub it in your face."
Suddenly, my anger faltered. "You realize you could be hanging around with some of the older kids. If you showed any skill, they'd happily take you into their little groups.
Percy smiled a bit. "So, do I show any skill to you?"
I suddenly realized he was asking to be my friend. My friend. One in my cabin, close to what- I was pretty sure- was my age.
I couldn't suppress a smile. "No skills... but there is potential."
Percy smiled and we kept eating, not speaking, but it wasn't awkward. I had just... made a friend, I think.
Mr. D got up at the end of dinner with a big sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd bet-ter say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."
As the Ares cabin cheered, I whispered to Percy, "Just to warn you, Clarisse is going to be out for blood. I suggest learning how to use a sword fast."
Percy opened his mouth to answer as Mr. D said, "Personally, I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."
Chiron murmured something.
"Er, Percy Jackson," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."
I stood up, smiling. "At least Mr. D doesn't call you Raisin."
Percy smiled a bit as we started walking. "Yeah, I guess there's worse than Peter Johnson."
The campfire was as warm as ever, the one part of the day I could enjoy. Everyone was busy having fun, so I could have fun. And now... I had a friend to share it with, and one that was in my cabin. Sitting next to Percy, eating s'mores and singing about grandma putting on her armor, I was having the time of my life.
Until that night.
I fell asleep reluctantly, nervous of what would happen. Sleeping was always a bad time for me. Nevertheless, I closed my eyes and drifted off.
I was standing in the middle of a stone room. Circular and made of round stones, I didn't see any exit except a hole in the top that let silvery light in. I looked around, thinking, 'What am I doing here?'
"Is isn't it obvious, child?"
I whipped around and a beautiful woman with pale skin, dark, glossy hair, and royal features. The only thing that wasn't so beautiful about her: her eyes. The were blood red and terrifying, filled with hatred.
Despite the evil look in her eyes, she smiled kindly. "You are here to claim your destiny, child."
I leaned away from her. "Who are you?"
The woman stiffened, then chuckled. "Of course you wouldn't know me. It's been six years, after all."
My eyes widened. "M-Mom?"
She shook her head. "No, Ryder. I'm not your parent. I'm much closer to you than that."
I took a full step back now. "I don't know you and I don't know who Ryder is. Get out of my head!"
The woman laughed, the sound echoing through the chamber. "Child, you can't get rid of me. It's taken me six years to find you. Now... I do not plan on letting go."
Suddenly, she wasn't so beautiful. Just scary. I scanned the walls for any exit, but the stone didn't show any weakness or holes at all. The ceiling was at least twenty feet up; there was no way I could get to the top to that vent.
The woman stepped forward, and I stepped back again. She repeated, and so did I, only now, my back was against the wall. Gods of Olympus... please wake up, please wake up, please wake up...
The woman lashed out, grabbing my wrist. My hand burned like acid where she touched me. I bit back a scream as she smiled. "Claim your destiny, Ryder. It's time."
She reached out to my chest, and I suddenly was back in bed, sitting upright, eyes wide. Nearly everyone else in the cabin was awake. Oh no. Not again...
Andrew scowled, but he looked wary of me. "Freak. I wish your parent would claim you already and get you out of here."
Luke was still asleep; for some reason, whenever my nightmares seem to infect the rest of the cabin, he was never affected. But Percy was wide-eyed, looking around before his eyes fell on me. I couldn't meet his gaze. Di immortales, I finally get another friend and I lose him five hours later.
Everyone slowly went back to sleep, except me. I sat in my bunk, staring at the new mark on my wrist. Where the woman had touched me, a black mark in the shape of a crescent moon had formed, curled and menacing as it swooped across the inside of my wrist. I'd never thought of the moon as scary before, but now, it looked imposing and harmful.
But the tattoo didn't even bother me as much as what had happened in that cavern. Who was that? And even more, the question: who was I?
