Ten

I've never felt stronger. Lying down on that grass, staring at the cloud covered sky, I felt invincible. Capable of defeating an entire army. Her hand held mine and our fingers interlocked. I gently touched her face, her skin was smooth like silk.

- You cheater. – Alexandra said laughing, her blue eyes the color of the sea – Stop doing that.

- Doing what?

- You keep exhaling all this love magic. It's not fair, I have no way to resist.

- I'm not doing anything. – I replied laughing – I barely know anything about my powers.

- Okay. I'll pretend I believe that. – she smiled and bit my ear, making my skin burn, got off of me and laid down beside me, our hands still holding each other. With her right hand, she moved a lock of hair from her face and the markings on her forearm caught my attention. It was her birthmark, an owl, the symbol of Athena.

- You're the head of the Athena Cabin, right? – I asked. Alexandra followed my eyes till the mark on her arm, her blue eyes then searched the rose on my right forearm before returning to my face.

- Yes. I'm the oldest and more experienced among my brothers. I come to camp since I was ten.

- Seven years, wow. I've been here for two days. I can't even imagine how my life will be seven years from now. It's like, I'm not sure if I'm gonna have a future. I don't know why.

- All of us demigods feel like that. – Alexandra said – Most of us die young, very young. Every birthday we celebrate is a gift. We have no time to waste in this world, Paris. It's our instinct. We're impulsive and can't remain still not just because of our natural battle reflexes, but because deep down we all know our time is precious. We know every second could be the last. So we have to enjoy every breath, every day.

Alexandra held me down and got on top of me again.

- I thought the children of Athena were supposed to be cold and geeky. Are you sure you're in the right cabin?

- The reason why we're great strategists, intellectuals and inventors is because we do everything with passion, Paris. A passion that burns inside of us, that doesn't let us give up before we achieve perfection at our craft. – she pressed her body against mine and kissed me deeply.

We said goodbye before we left the woods. We walked towards our cabins as if we were two strangers. Or at least that was the plan. We just couldn't help but look at each other and smile, talk to each other with our eyes. The Athena Cabin was on the left of the Aphrodite Cabin, they were separated only by the always uninhabited Artemis Cabin. I stopped before the door and saw Alexandra do the same at my left. She smiled, bit her lip and winked at me before entering the classical style cabin.

I touched the golden doorknob, but it escaped from my hand. I was pulled by my jacket and my face landed on red silk sheets, on the nearest bed.

- Tell us ALL the details. Don't leave out a single word.

I was surrounded by my sisters, their faces anxious and excited. There was no way out.

- What are you talking about? – I asked, just to mess with them.

- Don't pretend you know nothing, Paris Monroe. I saw you and the Athena girl going into the woods, almost two hours ago. – Victoria said, squeezing my arm and emphasizing "two hours ago".

- Okay, okay. – I got up and started talking. I told them everything, except a few graphic details. When I finished, I felt so good, so fulfilled. I sighed and stared at the green wall, my mind on the Athena Cabin, trying to imagine what Alexandra was doing in that exact moment.

- So, are you guys like together now? – Emily asked her breathtaking smile lighting up her face.

- Well, - I started, laughing.

And then it hit me. I had nothing to say. I searched for something, some evidence that proved that Alexandra and I were a couple now. But I couldn't find any.

- I don't know.

- Of course you guys are together. Once you go Aphrodite, you never go back. – said Demetria – Trust me.

I looked at my sisters, there was nothing but certainty on their faces. I tried to, somehow, feel Alexandra, be sure of anything, but I couldn't. I imagined what she was doing in that moment, but this time it wasn't a sweet thought. What if she regretted it? She was pretty vulnerable, maybe… Oh my gods. What if it wasn't like I thought it was?

- I need to think. – I told my sisters, who complained, but didn't stop me from walking out of the cabin. I took a deep breath, feeling the smell of the pines and felt the sunlight kiss my skin.

Wait a minute, sunlight?

I looked around me and saw a typical summer day, hot and colorful. The weather was clouded all day. The sky was completely grey till like 10 minutes ago. There were a lot of excited screaming and people were running through the Valley of the Cabins, going toward Half-Blood Hill.

Demetria, Emily and Victoria saw the commotion and joined me.

- Are you gonna stand there? Let's see what's going on! – Demetria said, walking fast toward the camp entrance, Emily and Victoria following her. I turned around to face the Athena Cabin. The door remained closed. I bit my lip and ran to keep up with my sisters.

More than half the campers were gathered near the big house. The closer we got, the hotter it became. I pulled the sleeves of my jacket and felt my body's temperature stabilizing, diminishing my sweat.

We made our way through the crowd banging shoulders till we could have an idea of what was going on. There was a huge Hummer limo parked close to the hill. Its yellow paint glowed intensely in the sunlight, it hurt just to look at it. I recognized the Apollo kids, eight boys and girls, welcoming a girl with hair so blond it glowed almost as much as the yellow limo. She wore classy and expensive clothes and her smile was distinctive. She looked just like a Hollywood star. When she took of her sunglasses, her green eyes sparkled. She turned around and waved at the crowd, who cheered loudly.

Hold on. I know that face. I saw it on huge billboards, every time I turned on my TV, on little girls' lunchboxes, magazine covers and websites. Every kid in the world knew that face.

- Is that… Serena Grace?

- In the flesh. Ugh, I love her clothes. – Emily said – I thought she wasn't coming this summer.

- Didn't you read about that insane paparazzi who attacked her house? The place was literally flipped upside down. – Victoria said – Sounds just like a monster attack to me.

- Woah. Serena Grace, the pop singer, Disney Channel star, is a demigod? – I asked, my voice sounding weak among all the screaming fans around us.

- Yeah. Daughter of Apollo. - Demetria said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

- The sun god? – I asked, feeling the heat on my hands.

- Yeah. Also god of music. And healing, bow and arrow, poetry, prophecies and the list goes on.

Demetria looked over my shoulder and her face closed.

- Ugh, Kevin. What do you want?

I turned around and saw the head of the Dionysus Cabin behind me. Kevin was 20 years old, but had the face of a child.

- Demetria, my love. – he said – Victoria, Emily, more beautiful than ever. And… - he turned towards me – the new guy.

Kevin smiled and shook my hand.

- Welcome to camp, man.

So far, by what Demetria told me about him, I thought Kevin was a stuck up and arrogant brat. But that wasn't what I felt being around him. He seemed cool, fun, a nice guy.

- Fuck off, Kevin. – Demetria said, grinding her teeth.

- You seem tense, Demi. Maybe you should come drink a glass of wine with us before dinner, you need to relax.

- Don't. Call. Me. 'Demi'. – Demetria paused after every word, arching he eyebrows into a truly devilish expression. – And no. Go to hell.

I stared at Victoria and Emily and they were struggling not to laugh. She didn't seem to hate Kevin that much, on the contrary. An idea came to my head and I slowly got between him and Demetria.

- Actually, we'd really enjoy that glass of wine. Our cabin and yours. We have a proposition for you guys.

Kevin smiled and shook my hand.

- Sure, it will be a pleasure to welcome you at our cabin. Please come over right after the sunset. I hope to see you there, Demi. Victoria, Emily and Paris too. See you later.

Kevin walked away and Demetria exploded beside me.

- PARIS! What the fuck?

- Calm down, sis. – I smiled and kissed her on the forehead – I may have a solution to this dispute. Trust me.

Demetria took a deep breath and turned to where Serena Grace was. She was saying goodbye to the limo driver. The engine roared like a thousand lions and she stepped away.

- Paris, close your eyes! – I felt Victoria's hands covering my eyes right before a loud boom.

She uncovered my eyes; there was no sign of the enormous yellow limo. Nor of the sun. The sky was grey again, full of rain filled clouds.

- Let me guess, Apollo was driving the limo, which actually was the sun chariot? – I asked, turning to my sisters.

- You learn fast, bro. – Emily said, putting her arm around my neck and kissing my shoulder.

- And you have a lot to explain, mister. – Demetria pulled me by the arm, almost carrying me and Emily all the way back to the Aphrodite Cabin.