Ryan

The rest of the day after I left the infirmary was a blur.

The hours whipped past in a frenzy of color. The next moment that I can remember clearly was standing right in front of the Iris Cabin door. I took a step forward, but hesitated. Should I go in? I could hear Two girls arguing, probably Annabeth and Rachel. Did I really want to talk to her when she had friends with her? Just as I was about to admit defeat, I remembered my contraption.

It was a gift I had been working really hard on; I began building it almost a month ago. Finally, two nights earlier, I finished. When I went to drop off the clothes for Violet, I had left it in her pocket. Grinning, I pulled the remote control from my coat and pushed the big red button in the top left corner. I could only pray that it worked. Pressing my ear against the door, I heard Violet scream at the two girls to shut up. Then I heard it too. The faint metallic clinking that meant my miniature Peleus dragon toy was working. Then I remembered where I was: Eavesdropping on the Iris cabin in broad daylight. Before any suspicious campers could get the wrong impression, I tiptoed off the rainbow-colored paneling that was the cabins porch and ran straight towards the forges.

At the forge, I fiddled with scraps of metal aimlessly. The screams of iron and celestial bronze being manipulated was not enough to drown out my thoughts. I subconsciously made a whirring model helicopter, then dismantled it just as easily. The work left my mind room to wander.

Violet and me had been best friends since the day we both got to camp and were both claimed right away, three years ago. I had-and still did- love her with every fiber in my being, but after a while, she shut me out. I was just a kid in the background to her. Even before the Layla incident, all of my little compliments and gifts would go unnoticed. I just wanted her to realize that I was there. I could help her. I wanted to comfort her, hold her in my arms as she cries, and tell her I love her. But I was invisible. She wouldn't even consider me in the case of "who left the golden dragon." I was irrelevant.

I snapped out of my reverie to realize someone had been calling my name out loud for a good three minutes. I turned around to see Jake Mason. His eyes were livid. They seemed to bore through me. His arms were crossed around his chest, and his shoulders were rigid. Jake's forehead was crumpled together; he looked downright frightening.

"Ryan, I've been looking for you for forever now!" He hollered. "We need someone who can forge a lot of swords in a little amount of time. You up for the job?"

"Why do you need a lot of swords?"

"Rachel stopped by yesterday and said she had a feeling we'd need them." I didn't need anymore information. When Rachel had a feeling, everyone paid attention. I trudged over to where a handful of other Hephaestus kids were rapidly making swords. It looked like a traffic line, with one girl hacking off bits of celestial bronze from a giant slab, another guy heating it, and one more bashing it into shape with a large mallet. The guys were impatiently waiting on the girl, who was panicking, making her work get sloppier and sloppier. I started helping her out by slicing pieces just the right size for a sword.

After working for a few hours, I bid my farewells and raced up to the dining pavilion for some grub. There was a lot going on. Clarisse was flinging her peas at a poor kid from the Hermes cabin. His friends were glaring at Clarisse and whispering mischievously. Annabeth and Percy had returned early and were making goo-goo eyes at each other from their respected tables. The Aphrodite table was screeching "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" To a beet-faced Grover and Juniper. I noticed lots of things, but only one thing really mattered to me.

Violet wasn't there.

Violet

I couldn't take all of the sympathetic faces at dinner, so I did what any natural person would do. I ignored my growling stomach and went to the farthest place away from the pavilion. The light of the bonfire was as feeble as a candle from where I sat at the lake.

I don't know why, but the lake is always my go-to spot. I just love the color of it. All of the beautiful flowers popping out. All of the little dots of red, orange, blue, pink, white and yellow. They just stood out so perfectly against the lush green foliage that surrounded the lake. The niads gave me a friendly wave, then went back to their weaving. They were used to me now. I gazed through the clear water at their aquatic faces. What would it be like to have no worries except who to throw into the lake? I would never know.

For a minute I could imagine what life would be like right now if the Layla Incident, as it was now being called, had never occurred. I would be sitting at the Iris table with my real family, Listening to Layla and Isaac comment on the color coordination of their meals, or argue on the newest way of redecorating the cabin. Isaac would be laughing and chatting instead of being silent. Willis would be scarfing down anything in sight instead of starving himself. And I would be smiling, chatting animatedly about my newest crazy scheme. My hair would be its natural golden brown instead of my now appropriate jet black. And Layla's name would be on the list of exceptional campers instead of on the monument to Demigods killed in the second Titan war.

The thought of a life that happy made me want to throw myself into the lake. But I couldn't. I had to be strong. I stood up to leave and ran into somebody. I was thrown to the ground.

"Sorry! Oh my gosh, so sorry!" I panicked. The guy just chuckled. I looked up and saw Ryan smiling down at me. I smiled back halfheartedly. He gave me his calloused hand and easily pulled me up with one quick tug. I mumbled a thanks to the ground.

I had always loved Ryan like a brother. But he wanted more. Ever since Annabeth had pointed out that tiny detail, I had made it my mission to avoid him. I just couldn't love him that way, but would never break his heart by telling him that. Since the Layla Incident, I had craved Ryan's friendship more than ever. But I knew it would lead him on, and couldn't hurt him so badly. I looked into his warm brown eyes and wanted to melt into his arms. I wanted to tell him everything, how much it hurt. I wanted him to tell me it was okay, that it wasn't my fault. It took every fiber in my being not to run into his arms right now.

"What are you doing out here, skipping your meal?" He asked.

"Thats funny, I was about to ask you the same thing." I said distantly. Ryan blushed and looked at the ground.

"I was looking for you." He whispered. I chose to ignore that comment.

"I should go to my cabin." I head up the small dirt path leading to the beach.

"I never did get a thank you for taking you to the infirmary this morning!" He hollered back. I paused in my tracks for a second, then started running. Anything to get away. When I was sure he was out of earshot, I whispered

"Thank you," to the wind. It carried throughout the trees, past everything in the camp. But it never reached it's intended target. Which was good.