Dinner was awful. I sat at the Hybrid table, dodging stares and nibbling on my food. My appetite was going down the drain, which, considering I was the granddaughter of Poseidon, should've been good, but I felt like crap. After offering portions of my food to both Athena and Poseidon (Rowena told me to do that) and pouring some Sprite into the offering fire, I sat at the edge of the short table that I shared with the four other cabin mates.

"Hello," spoke a musical, melodious voice. Redheaded Cynthia sat next to me, her tray floating steadily in mid air. She let it drop down with a flourish, no doubt waiting for me to give her a compliment. When I stayed silent, her eyes flashed like an angry bolt of rainbow lightning. "I got the soda out of my hair, if you are wondering."

I gave her a sideways glance, hoping that if I were a bit mean, she'd take the hint and leave. "No I wasn't, but that's good. Must've took you a while, huh?"

"No, it didn't." Her voice turned frigid. She sat next to me and spread out her food, separating her peas from her mashed potatoes and roast. She took a bite and chewed quickly before saying to me, "I don't like you very much."

My mind ran at an amazing rate, trying to think of something to say. Why is it the bluntest things said that are the hardest to whip out a comeback for? Why not just be blunt back?

"Really?" I almost choked out my reply, not only from amusement but from defeat.

"Yes." Cynthia stared at me for a stretched out second. Her red hair wildly complimented her burning gaze all too well. I silently wondered if she had magically morphed her image to look like that, like her grandmother was known for doing.

"What did I do?"

"It's not about you. It's about your parents," she said as she dropped her fork onto the tray quietly and wiped her upper lip.

I pushed myself up angrily. I was sick of that stupid brat. "What the hell did my parents do?"

The entire camp was watching me now; showing my temper, I knew, wasn't wise, but I wasn't going to have Cynthia treat me poorly because of Mom and Dad.

"Your father and mother killed my aunt. Circe. I'm sure your jokes of parents told you that. I mean, you come up in here, all in rare-Hybrid mode, like 'Oh, my mommy and daddy are rich and famous. I'm special.'"

"I have not!" I yelled. "My parents aren't jokes. If anyone is a joke, it's you. You're just a stupid magic-shop crack-head. Nobody asked for your opinion, bitch!"

Okay, I crossed a line there, but my parents weren't anything like that, and her aunt turned them into rats or mice, or something. Circe deserved that.

Cynthia's eyes lit their fiery rainbow and she muttered something I didn't quite catch. However, I knew it was a spell. I dropped to the ground a second before a great ball of hot fire hit where my head would've been.

"This is how you want this?" I asked from the ground. "We could make a compromise, a deal. How about that?"

Cynthia answered with another fiery blow, this time the flame singeing the fine hairs on my arm. It wasn't just hot, it was burning and snapping; only a magical fire could act like that. I quickly got up from the ground, running away from Cynthia. I needed a weapon.

The Ares cabin was in running distance, but I guessed Cynthia could probably aim long-range as well. I decided to take my chances. Grabbing a tray, I lunged for the Are's cabin. I spotted a spear that would be perfect: round-ended, but hefty enough to land a few good blows. I held up the tray above my face, but Cynthia had other ideas. She hit the hem of my t-shirt, sending it up in flames.

My breasts heated up and my stomach began to burn. Suddenly, I felt an uncomfortable pull on my navel, and soda spurted out at me, quenching the hungry fire. Cynthia gasped in shock, but her nose flared, and I knew she wasn't done yet.

"I know where you are going! You'll never get there in time. Fight, if your parentage is true. Use your powers, you idiot, and pray to the gods for mercy!" Cynthia laughed a cold laugh and shot a warning flame at me.

She was right, and I knew it. I bit my lip. I figured she'd use more Hecate than Iris, and I bet she thought I'd use more Poseidon than Athena, but I knew I couldn't. Cynthia was powerful, and I needed the wisdom of Athena and the power of the seas my father gave me as a package.

I beckoned for her mockingly, again unwisely showing my temper. Cynthia ran at me, swift yet gracefully, but instead of attacking me, in mid-air she morphed into a snarling, tooth-baring Hellhound. Her coat was wild red and sticking straight up in all directions. My breath almost caught in my throat, but I swallowed hard. Like my temper, it would not be wise to show my fear, but I realized she could probably sniff it out of a mother load of manure.

I lunged, directly kicking her in the muzzle, but I wasn't as strong as she was; Cynthia (I learned later) had many years of training that I didn't. She whimpered at me, but lunged at me, knocking me across the pavilion with one well-aimed blow. The impact knocked the wind out of me, breaking a few bones as well.

I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see well, either. A girl with a crossbow in her hands came at me, and I saw the Hades-Persephone boy Paolo bark an order at Cynthia, and she changed form once more, into her human self. Then, I blacked out.