It's been awhile, how're you? Have a good past few weeks?
*Disclaimer* I don't own anything but my own characters.
Elizabeth was very pissed.
It is summer, a great time to be in camp, and she had been waiting for it since last winter, when she first came to camp. Everyone says it's most fun in the summer, when everyone was here and the real training started.
It's been two weeks, and Elizabeth has got to say that she is so not good at this training thing.
"They don't do roll call, so why couldn't I just not show up?" Elizabeth was asking her friend, Leo.
" 'Cause, they always notice when you aren't there. Trust me. Unless you've got an excuse-like making a spanking awesome war ship-They're gonna make you come." Leo's face was up close to a machine he was making, his whole self focused on it. He held up his hand.
"Hand me the conductor."
"This metal thingy?"
"Yes-that-hand me." Elizabeth reached out to grab it, from the table behind him, she handed it to him.
Bunker nine was quiet, with only a few people here and there working on personal projects.
The place was a great place to hang out with some friends, though mostly it's used for Hephaestus children who need extra space to work on a project, that they couldn't get in the forge.
Leo and Elizabeth usually end up here eventually. After the months they've known each other, they went from,
Leo bothering her all the time, Elizabeth kind of accepting that he'd always be a doofus and starting to enjoy his company, to Elizabeth being his personnel hand me that toal slave.
No one spoke for a few minutes as Leo got Elizabeth to help with something that needs extra hands.
"Has that girl gotten claimed yet?" Leo broke the silence.
"No! She's still in the bunk behind me, and it's been a week and a half." The topic has come up many times the past days, the new girl.
The new unclaimed girl. It was so absurd that someone wouldn't be claimed for so long that it's gotten to the point where people'll either repeatedly ask her to do random crap to see if her parent's watching and will claim her, or just immediately assume she's a daughter of Hermes.
Leo looked at Elizabeth. For the first time in half an hour, I might add.
"Maybe they forgot. Or are Romans. Those guys are pretty tough-Probably waiting for her to kill a dragon, or dye a daughter of Aphrodite's hair green before claiming her. Something brave."
"Hm. Maybe. Who do you think her mom is?" Elizabeth kneeled on her knees right next to Leo.
She was shorter then him, so while he could rest his hands on the table just fine while kneeling in front of his machine, ELizabeth could only rest her chin on the table.
Damn boys and their sudden growth spurts.
A few seconds later and Elizabeth pushed Leo.
"Wha-hey! Chica! What I was doing is very important, if I hadn't just done it then the wire would have hit into the side, and if it hits that part-the metal-then the electricity will go everywhere and spark and-"
"Leo, who do you think Kassia's mom is?"
The boy hesitated.
"Have you noticed how strange that name is? Kah-see-uh, weird, right? Plus she said it means cinnamon, which is kind of the color of her hair, which means her dad literally named her that just because of her hair color. Nice man, he must've been-"
"Her name means cinnamon?"
"Yeah! She told me herself! You know, she's Greek? She's even got that cute Greek accent. It's funny when she doesn't understand a word or tells you to slow down."
"Aw, cute? Sure you don't have a crush on her?" Elizabeth couldn't help herself. She's never heard anyone consider Kassia cute. Leo glared at her.
"No. Shut up. I said it's funny. I don't have a crush."
Elizabeth grinned at Leo's embarrassment. But apologized. "Right-Sorry. But that is strange. How did her dad know her hair wasn't gonna change or something?"
"Maybe her mom's Nemesis." Leo stared forward at nothing, with a look of pure amazement on his face. It looked like he suddenly found the answer to the universe's hardest joke.
"...I guess that could be true." Elizabeth shrugged. She played with her shoelace.
"Could be?" Leo looked offended. "It has to be! 'Cause she's, she's…" He poked her. "Bethy, give me a reason why I'm right."
"Don't call me Bethy." She snapped instantly, ignoring his question.
"Beethy. Bethy. Bethy. Bethy. Bethy-" Leo yelped as Elizabeth's fist made contact on his shoulder.
"Shut up! I don't call you… Leo-ey! Or, Le-Lea! Call me Bethy and I'll call you Lea." Elizabeth felt proud of that threat for about two seconds.
"Yay!" Leo clapped. "I have a nickname! I've never had one before. Well, other than repair boy. Or, like, fire man, or something. I once had a nickname, the Punster. But then people thought it was the punkster, and everyone stopped trusting me 'cause they thought it meant I'd always punk them...What were we talking about?"
"Cinnamon girl and Nemesis. And I thought about it. She can't be."
"Why not?"
"When has she done anything about revenge?"
Elizabeth and Leo fought over it more. There aren't many children of Nemesis, so there weren't many to use as example.
But Elizabeth still felt like that wasn't Kassia's mother. She couldn't say who was, just who wasn't. Problem is, there are a lot of gods, and she could-as much as she hated it-be wrong.
Thinking of all she knew of Kassia, Elizabeth realized she didn't know much. She mentioned living with her aunt on an island called Serifos.
That her aunt worked on planes, that's why she knew English and taught Kassia. She very much liked pranks, and wasn't bad at coming up with some. Though they had to turn done most of them, knowing that the ending would get too many people hurt or just do to much-the Hermes cabin gets in trouble quite a lot. But they didn't want to get thrown in jail.
Eventually the two went back to the machine, which Leo told Elizabeth was actually a huge lift system, something to do with his bed going into it's bunker too slowly.
They eventually made their way to dinner, which had just started.
They parted ways and Elizabeth went and sat next to Kassia. She was sitting on the edge, no one near her, like always. Elizabeth remembers when she first came here and didn't get close to anyone, either, and felt it was her job to make sure this girl realize that it's better to get close to the cabin. Elizabeth let herself become friends with her siblings eventually, and she loves it.
"Hey!"
Kassia greeted her back. Elizabeth noticed that she was wearing boots, combat boots it looked like, over skinny black jeans. She was still wearing her camp half blood shirt, though.
"Hey. Nice boots, your stuff finally get in?"
Kassia nodded. "My aunt finally had the time, it took a little while to come. But I'm so glad, though I am scared that it'd all be stolen by tomorrow."
Elizabeth laughed. "With our cabin, you never can be too careful. I hope you hid it well."
"Oh yeah." Kassia took a bite out of her pizza. "Don't bother trying to get it out of me, I won't break."
After everyone was in and most were done eating, Chiron did his announcement. Tomorrow, they would play capture the flag. Being a camp favorite, there were many cheers. Then he invited everyone to go down to the camp fire.
Elizabeth turned to Kassia. "Hey, you coming?" The older girl was staring towards the fire in the middle. Her eyes were glassy and her voice soft when she answered.
"Maybe later...I think I'm gonna take a walk…" Elizabeth continued to watch the girl, who didn't move from watching the fire. Kassia seemed very tired.
"Okay. See you at the cabin."
Elizabeth left to join some friends. As the rest of the demigods made their way out, Kassia slowly took her eyes off the fire and looked straight, down towards the Dionysus table.
It happened to also be the only table that actually held a god, it's own god none the less.
Even from this far, Kassia could feel Dionysus's eyes on her's. She stared straight at his, feeling a strange sense of power and knowledge. She felt the longer she looked into her eyes the more her mind slipped from reality, and the more she forgot of herself. Like being locked in a daze, until you forget where you are, 'till you forget there's a world outside your mind.
She looked away. Then she looked at the fire.
It was whispering. Like fires do. The sizzling, fire sound. But… Kassia felt as though she heard something else as well. She felt her mind playing tricks on her, making her believe it was words that the fire was saying.
Whispering. She couldn't understand what it was saying. Whispering, Kassia. It almost sounded like her name. Whispers. She was too far away, is all. More whispers, so close to forming words. Kassia had stood up and walked forward.
It's getting clearer.
Whispering.
Kassia…
Kassia come…
Kassia come closer….
Come to me…
Kassia-
"I wouldn't go any closer, if I was you."
Kassia snapped her head toward the sound. To her left, stood the god, Dionysus.
The whispering stopped. Her mind cleared and she was no longer in eh fog.
It was hot.
Kassia looked forward to see she was just a step away from the fire. If she took another step…
"Thanks." She turned to the god. "You saved my life."
He just stared. Then he walked away.
"Hey-Wait!"
Kassia caught up to Mr. D. He headed out of the pavilion.
"Did you hear the whispering to? Do you know what it meant? Why was it saying my name-"
"Girl." The god stopped, he growled.
"Shut up. I don't care what the whispers said, and I couldn't care less who you are. Go and join your stupid friends at the stupid camp fire already." Dionysus continued on.
"But… I don't have any friends." The god didn't stop walking. "And I'm kind of freaked out." He turned at the entrance, heading to the big house. "Do you know who my mother is? And why she hasn't claimed me yet-what, is she like busy or on vacation or something?"
The god stopped. He was twenty feet away, now.
It was a few moments before he spoke.
"Don't refer to her like that."
Kassia blinked. "Who? What do you mean-" Dionysus turned towards her, even from here she could see the purple flames in his eyes.
"Don't refer to her as though she is something. It is nothing. It can't go on vacations, and you shouldn't even consider her a her. Do not speak of it in my camp." And with that he headed on, as though nothing had happened.
Kassia didn't move for a few seconds. Then she ran to catch up. She stayed about ten feet behind, though, becoming fearful of the god. She felt giddy. This is so insane, the way this conversation is going. And she might find out who her mom is.
Mom, or whatever you call her. Or it. The thing. Isn't she a woman? Kassia's always been taught that it's man and woman who makes the babies.
"I'm sorry, er, great god Dionysus. But I'd very much like to know, why shouldn't I refer to her as a women? And why can't I speak of her?"
The god didn't answer, and instead walked up the steps of the big house, Kassia still following. he stopped at the top.
He didn't speak, just turned to face Kassia.
Just as she was expecting him to answer, he face the sky and shouted out,
"Really! Must I? And how do we know-Oh fine. Because stuck here another forty-eight years isn't enough punishment." Then the god turn his glare to Kassia.
She was struggling not to laugh. She couldn't help it. That person who laughs when someone falls, that's her. That someone who laughs when in the movie, a serial killer kills people, and the people never saw it coming-That's her. A god shouting at the sky, where his father is no doubt telling him to do something he doesn't want to do-as parents do-hiliariouse.
"You. Come. Now. And do not say a word." he turned and stomped off.
Kassia laughed alittle, as much as she dared. Gods, he was like a little kid!
It took her a few minutes to actually find the god, who was in the very end of the house, drinking a diet coke, and sitting on a couch.
"Uh, dude-Sir, what was that?"
"My father. He seems to think now is a good time, despite what we agreed on. "
"And what is it that you agree on?"
"Not telling you." The god continued to glare at the girl. Kassia looked back, and the same happened as in the pavilion-Like she was being sucked in, like she could feel his soul and it was consuming her.
"I never thought that she'd have a child with a mortal. And if she did, none of us knew what powers you'd have. But then again, you don't know either, do you?"
Kassia was too confused to do anything but blink. She kept her hands behind her back, digging her nails into her hands to keep calm.
"And yet you've been doing it all this time. What is your eye color?" Kassia blinked. That question came out of nowhere.
"... I dunno." Kassia didn't know how to say "kaleidoscope" in English, but it sounds pretty lame when she says that anyway.
"Why? Do eyes have something to do with my mother? Is she the goddess of eyes?"
The god rolled his eyes and sighed.
"How would I know? I'm a young god. I shouldn't be the one doing this."
"Doing what?"
"Telling you who your mother is. That's it. I'm taking you to Olympus, daughter of Nothing."