I poked at my breakfast half-heartedly, listening to Drew criticize people's eating habits as I drowned my eggs in syrup. "You're gonna end up needing gastric bypass if you keep eating that much, Allie-Marie," she said, pointing at the blonde's plate. "Daughters of Aphrodite don't have flab, hun."

Allie-Marie gasped. "I do not have flab!"

Drew rolled her eyes and leaned over the table. "You went up three dress sizes in two weeks, sweetie." She whispered. "Lay off the Lays."

Right now, if I were Allie-Marie, I would've already lunged across the table and had my hands on Drew's throat. Allie wasn't even fat! Being a size bigger than all the other girls wasn't exactly her fault, it could be in her genes!

No one at the table had the guts to stand up to Drew, though. They all were terrified of her, afraid that she would turn on them next. Even Alison sat quiet, watching the events unfold as she slowly chewed on her strawberries. Beside me, Jasmine cuddled closer to me as the air grew thick with tension.

"Drew," I said. "Stop."

She literally growled at me, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing at me. "What, skank?"

"Stop." I commanded and she instantly backed down, settling for a glare in my direction.

Something was wrong. Drew didn't just back down. Did she know I had her diary? Was she playing the nice card so that I'd give it to her without arguing? If I was sure of one thing, it was that she was threatened by me.

I blinked, realizing I had been staring at Poseidon's table. My eyes connected with Percy's sea-green ones, but the look on his face didn't register with me. I didn't know exactly what the look was. Hurt? Longing? I looked away quickly, not liking the way he was looking at me. It made me feel self-conscious and almost... guilty.

I was reminded of the talk I had with Aphrodite in Central Park. Could I really be with Percy? He didn't deserve a girl like me. I was self-centered and weak. I was a regular run-of-the-mill girl.

Percy was the complete opposite. He was special in every way. His personality and his power demanded your attention, making him likeable and a natural born leader. It also didn't help that he was quite the looker. I don't think he realized it, but almost every girl at camp lusted after him. Percy could have any girl he wanted on their knees, begging for him. It was a wonder he didn't already have a girlfriend.

Okay, maybe I did like him. Or maybe I just liked the idea of him. All I knew was that he was too good for me.

What Percy really deserved was Annabeth. She was beautiful, smart, and actually knew about Percy. I didn't even know his favorite color and yeah, Annabeth was a better deal.

I glanced at the Athena table. Annabeth was laughing at something one of her brothers had said, her eyes crinkling at the corners in a cute way. Her curly blonde hair was gathered up in a ponytail with strands falling and framing her heart-shaped face. She was beautiful.

Anyone who didn't know Annabeth Chase would probably think she was a daughter of Aphrodite rather than a daughter of Athena.

"Stay away from Percy." Annabeth's words echoed in my head. I didn't want to be on her bad side. She might be a great friend, but she was an even better enemy.

"You okay?" Ali asked from beside me.

"Yeah," I told her. "Actually, I think I, um, need to rest. I'll catch up to you back in the cabin." I started to get up, but she grabbed my wrist quickly.

"If this is about Percy, I swear I will kill him." She said, looking over her shoulder at the Poseidon table. Percy's gaze was instantly directed towards his meal.

I shook my head. "No, it's not. I'm just feeling a bit homesick."

She nodded. "It gets easier, trust me. Don't think about it, just do whatever you've got to do until you get home."

"That's the smartest thing you have told me since I've been here." I laughed. She slapped my arm playfully before sending me off.

As I approached my cabin, someone grabbed my arm. I whirled around, getting ready to tell someone off about knowing what personal space was until I realized it was Markie. She grinned and held up a small golden key.

The key to open Drew's diary.

My eyes widened. "You got it?"

She nodded. "Yeah, the Stolls got it for me. I'll spare you all the gruesome details, though. Just come."

I followed her into her cabin and she shut the door behind me. I sat down on one of the empty bunks and made myself at home. "So what did you find out?" I asked, gesturing towards the unlocked and open diary lying on her dresser.

"That Drew is only more of a —"

"Don't say it!"

She cleared her throat. "Let's just say reading her diary only made me hate her more. Do you know what she said about me?"

I shook my head. "What?"

"Markie Andrews has always been a desperate outcast," she read. "She tries to come off as harmless, but she's actually manipulative."

I snorted. "Says Drew."

"I know, but it gets worse. Listen: While I was dating Chris, he told me all about Markie. How she was always complaining about pointless things and she didn't fully appreciate him.

I actually think I'm going to break up with him in like a week. He's pretty cute but I think he's still hung up on Markie. I would never tell them this, but they make a really cute couple... Mom did good."

"Wait, what?"

Markie looked up at me with wide eyes. "Chris was still in love with me... Why did he..? Oh my gods." She said, "this changes everything."

She was almost on the verge of tears now. I didn't know how to comfort her. My mouth hung open and I couldn't control any part of my body. I felt like hugging her but it was like I was in stuck in quicksand. If I made a single move, I was pretty sure my lungs would be full of sand.

Markie was right. This did change everything.

Drew could actually be a nice person. (Ha.) But seriously, what if she was? Could the real her be hiding behind this image, the one that she wanted people to see?

"You have to keep reading," I told Markie. "It's too late to back down."