The ADHD part of me wondered how he had said all that in one breath. I almost laughed out loud. The teenagers surrounding me rose gracefully and quickly as they all stared at me curiously, specifically one very familiar-looking hazel eyed boy. Suddenly, a boy with unruly straight raven-black hair turned to me. Before he spoke, I noticed he had seagreen eyes just like the color I always hoped to have. His eyes were as deep and dark as the sea. The second thing I noticed was that he hesitated before speaking to me, he glanced back at Chiron, who nodded in reassurance.
He held out his hand and said, "well, I guess you're my new little sister." His eyes sparkled happily as I tentatively smiled back at him while shaking his hand and said, "yeah, I guess so." Chiron then announced, "Let us welcome our new camper at the sing-along campfire!" The teenagers all cheered and ran towards the gateway. One stayed behind. The familiar-looking one. Ha. Bet you thought it was my brother, didn't you? Nope. With my luck, of course not.
"Daniela?" He asked. Side note: you may be wondering who "he" is. Well, Shawn Peter Solaris was my first love who unknowingly broke my heart when I was eleven years old. Needless to say, I'm still slightly, slightly infatuated with … wait he's checking me out. time to stop zoning outttt... His eyes raked up and down my lean frame, basically devouring with his eyes my recently acquired curves. I resisted the ever-familiar urge to punch him (since we did use to be friends, once upon a time...). It wasn't the first time he'd seen me in a dress, but it was the first time he saw me in a dress after puberty and in formalwear. Why does being claimed by two gods have to change your clothes?
"No, d'yuh Sun Head," I said, using my old nickname for him. The boy spent too much time in the sun, if you're wondering. My brother's eyes flicked between me and Shawn. Being my brother and my mother's son, he could obviously pick up on unsaid things. He cleared his throat. We must've been staring at each otherwith odd expressions, his a sort of hunger, mine disbelief. I can't believe he actually has lust in his eyes while looking at me. I mean, I knew puberty did me wonders, but damn. "You guys know each other?" My brother asked.
I nodded and said sarcastically, "I had the privilege of going to the school with him in the fourth and fifth grades." I was mentally cringing and hoping to God-well the gods, I guess, that he wouldn't bring up my schoolgirl crush on him and grow up a bit. Thankfully, he just said, "yeah, it's been a while. Well, it was good to see you, we should catch up later. I gotta go, sing-along campfires are mandatory for my cabin. See y'all around." He nodded respectfully to Chiron before jogging inside the camp.
Once he was out of earshot, I sighed in relief. "Are you okay?" Jace asked me, clearly confused. That's how you know we're related. I'm so oblivious when it comes to romantic things. "I used to have a massive crush on him when we were younger, and I thought he would give me crap about it. He seems nicer, thank goodness." Jace seemed to understand. "Yeah, well when we met in sixth grade, he was pretty mature for a 12-year-old." Chiron cleared his throat, and I was startled because he was so quiet I had forgotten he was there. My cheeks flushed because we had just met, and he already knew who my first love was. "Well, it was wonderful to meet you, child; but I'm afraid my duties are elsewhere. Either your brother or Lily would be delighted to show you around tomorrow morning, I presume?" Chiron stated, like they didn't really have a choice. Jace nodded vigorously. "Of course, I would love to!"
Chiron seemed pleased that Jace volunteered so willingly, so he said, "thank you, Jace. Now, Daniela, we have rules here, of course, your brother will fill you in. I can already tell that you're responsible regarding your behavior. Definitely your mother's daughter." He smiled kindly at me and I couldn't help but feel proud because of this, however I knew there was a "but" to this statement. "However, in the past your parents have broken a few very important rules. I already know you might be following in their footsteps. Don't take this the wrong way, because judging by your brother's behavior, I'm sure we won't have any problems. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a campfire to supervise. I hope you enjoy it here." The centaur gave me one last friendly smile before trotting off.
"Was it just me, or was he insinuating that you'll break the "no one boy and one girl alone in a cabin" rule?" Lily mused. I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly where she was going with this. We started walking towards the arch. "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, Lils." I feigned innocence when I spoke. Lily looked into my eyes when she responded, "Shawn was definitely into you." Again, I rolled my eyes. "That's just the thing, Lily. Shawn is that guy that only notices pretty girls when they're done up and wearing a dress. Trust me, once I'm out of this contraption, he won't know I exist." I said, matter-of-factly. Oh hell no. I thought. Tell me I did not just detect a hint of disappointment in my voice. "Why are you so insecure?" Jace asked. "It makes me sad when pretty girls are constantly putting themselves down."
I sighed. "I'm insecure because I was heartbroken at a very young age, and I thought then, if he didn't want me that no one else would either. Also, because I've always felt that I should look a certain way, like a sort of image my soul has always told I should look like, but I never see that girl in the mirror." Jace began to flail his arms about in the exact same way I do when I'm frustrated or upset. "That happens to every kid who is born of the gods! They are hidden from the monsters with the Mist, if they are powerful enough! You have never met Mom and Dad, so I'm sure that image your conscience has always been telling you that you really look like is exactly what your true form is."
I must've given him a weird look because Lily explained, "a child born of the gods has two appearances, one for the mortal world, which is what you've been seeing all your life, and one for our world. See, how this works is that once you meet someone from our world, you slowly start to shed your mortal image. Have you by any chance noticed a few differences in your appearance?" Lily stopped talking long enough for me to nod my head. "Well that marks the beginning of the change in your looks. The reason the Mist protects certain demigods, or minor gods, like you and Jace is because you are important to Olympus or have a vital role in keeping the flame of Western civilization alive. It also does that so if you ever encounter monsters, they can't smell or recognize you unless they're very old and powerful."
"Besides, my best friend is stupid if he doesn't realize how great you are, regardless of your looks. I mean, we just met, and I feel like I've known you forever." Jace said. I smiled. "Thanks, and yeah I feel the same way, but it's most likely because we're family." Jace considered this and nodded. "If he ever tries something or does something that hurts you just tell me and I'll handle it." I looked at him with an odd expression. "I know you can handle yourself, I saw that you wanted to punch him, but you're my little sister and I will protect you." He said fiercely. Better not to argue, then. I shrugged and said, "alright, whatever floats your boat."
By now we were inside the camp, seemingly in the center where a huge crowd of teenagers and kids were crowding around a huge red bonfire, singing, laughing and talking. The chatter died down once people began to see us. I noticed it was most likely because I was still glowing. People were pointing and whispering behind their hands. I felt like I was in an Alternate Universe version of Mean Girls. "Alright, when will I stop glowing?" I said, annoyed. I felt like a freak, even though I wasn't even using my powers. Yet everyone was still staring at me. My change in appearance can't be so drastic that literally all guys in camp were checking me out; with the exception of my family members in the Athena cabin, my brother and people who are in relationships.
"Hey, Jackson, your sister's hot," someone randomly called out. Oh hell no. Heelllll no. I will use my powers now so that these idiots will respect me. DO THEY KNOW WHO MY PARENTS ARE? I MEAN COME ON MY DAD WILL KICK THEIR ASSES! Actually no, I'll do it myself.
"Um, excuse me? Whoever said that needs to come out of that crowd, unless they want their ass beat by a girl." The crowd oohed and said, "burn!" The crowd parted to reveal some idiot who was trying to hide behind his guy friends. I pointed to him. "Yeah, you, whatever the hell your name is, come here." I gestured for him to come up to me. He reluctantly did, and I kneed him in the lower section, and made a thunderstorm above him. "That's what happens when you try to get with me, moron."
I smiled sweetly, and said, "that better stay with any of y'all who try something like that. Capiche?" All of the guys nodded their heads in fear. Even the ones who have their arm around a girl. Which resulted in their girlfriends to elbow them hard in the ribs. "I'm done here," I said and flipped my hair. I walked away from the crowd with my head held high. I high-fived my brother and Lily, and we went away from the middle of the camp.
On the way to the cabin, I saw Shawn was still in shock, slack-jawed and the same expression he had earlier when we were glaring at each other. I caught his eye and winked at him. GODS WHY AM I DOING THIS, STOP IT DANIELA! My conscience screamed at me. Well, it's not like I flashed him, I thought.
"Um, that was awesome." Lily said. "I have to be respected, don't I? I mean my parents are the strongest demigods of the century." I said proudly. "Damn right! I knew you could handle yourself. I should still kick Scott's ass though." Jace said, his hands rolling into fists. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me." Jace shook his head. "Chiron would understand." I shrugged and said, "whatever you say."
We had turned left, away from the center of the camp and the bonfire. There were cabins on each side of the road, which was designed like a garden, with a fountain at the far end of the road. Three cabins over we stopped in front of a cabin, and my brother said, "Welcome home, sis." The cabin looked like a house, but it still had a rustic feel to it, since we were living among many trees. The blue-grey cabin was made of blue sea stone and ivory. The stairs were adorned with sea plants and there were drawings of popular landmarks on the rails. The Greek surname on the mailbox at the bottom of the stairs was written in silver paint, Τζάκσον and in English, Jackson. At the top of the cabin, there was a blue-green trident and a grey owl flying above it. This was the symbol that appeared over me when I was claimed by my parents. It suddenly hit me that I really was welcome here and that this is my home.
My brother put his palm on a spot 2 inches from the doorbell. "To keep out unwanted visitors. Plus, it makes for quick entry." Jace said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes as the door swung open by itself. You had to admit, that was pretty cool. We stepped inside a cabin that seemed to be split in half because one half was so different from the other. On the left side, Jace's lower half of his twin bunk was decorated with a collage of pictures from his old life, I assumed. There were at least fifteen pictures of him with his friends and yep, you guessed correctly, Shawn was in most of the pictures, either laughing, jumping on my brother's back or punching him playfully. I smiled. What? They were cute pictures. On the right side of his bunk—no, the left side, that whole standing in front of something makes it backwards thing was what made me confused. I wondered if he purposely put his royal blue dresser on the left side of his bunk, as if defying Mom's OCD about the left side. The dresser was cluttered with bottles of hair gel, toothpaste, deodorant, a comb, a tap and sink. He was probably too lazy to go in the bathroom to brush his teeth, if there was one in here. Oh, who am I kidding, if I had a cool dresser like his I would never get up to brush my teeth in the bathroom.
"No bathroom?" I asked. He grinned at me. "Actually, there are 2, but you probably guessed I hate getting up to brush my teeth in the bathroom, so I have my trusty tap and sink here," he pats the sink affectionately, "but the bathroom is over there," he points to a door next to the dresser. "Yours is right next to your dresser," he points, and I turn, smiling when I notice I have the same tap and sink in the middle of my dresser. "The last time Mom was here, she was telling me about the stuff that's in your bathroom, but I tuned out, since it was boring girl stuff. I'm sure you can figure it out." I chuckled, of course he wouldn't pay attention, what normal fifteen-year old boy would listen to that?
"Thanks, but you're right. I think I'm smart enough to handle a bathroom." Jace laughs at this, and sits on his bunk, pulling the same phone I have. "Hey, I have the same phone!" I say, and Jace put his phone down and said, "huh?" I rolled my eyes. "I said, I have the same phone." Jace blinked. "Ok. I'm going to go for a swim." I looked out the window; we had our own private stretch of sea. There were surfboards, longboards, jet skis, and tube floaties waiting outside by the water. "Oh, and if the doorbell rings, that's Shawn. Open it and well, try not to punch him if he checks you out again." I laughed. "I'll try to restrain myself." Jace went to his dresser, grabbed a pair of swim trunks and got in the bathroom. Which reminded me, I had to face my reflection. I walked to the closet and did a double take when I saw how full it was. There was literally every wash of jeans, color of jeans, a variety of colorful blouses and graphic t-shirts. I was in closet heaven. For the shoes, there were every shade of the rainbow in Converse, my favorite brand of sneakers. There were booties in dark and light colors, leather combat boots, and heeled boots, you name it. I wonder how my parents got all the money for all these clothes.
I noticed that there was a sticky note on the back of the door. It read: 'Hi, sweetie! I hope you're getting settled in alright, and your brother better be treating you nicely.' I chuckled at this and kept reading. 'Don't worry about the money that we spent, since we didn't. It's an enchanted closet. How it works is that you imagine any outfit or article of clothing and it appears in your dresser, or on a hanger. Also, I know that your brother didn't tell you about what's in the bathroom, so I'll tell you. I asked Aphrodite what products you used, and asked her for some of those, in the special bottles that replenish themselves as needed. I hope you like your cabin and everything we got for you. I'll see you soon. Love, Mom.'
The note was written in script, so it took a while for my dyslexic mind to read, but since I write in a journal, I always write it in script, so it didn't take too long. Relieved that this closet hadn't cost a fortune, I grabbed a pair of Hollister size 7 dark wash skinny jeans, a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, and underwear. I went in the bathroom and was shocked of how familiar it looked. There was a vanity mirror, stocked with the same kinds of makeup I had used at home, and also some new palettes of eyeshadow from NARS and Urban Decay, as well as eye primer, new bottles of Herbal Essences Coconut Moisturizing Shampoo and Herbal Essences Hydra-licious Moisturizing Conditioner.
Without thinking, I glanced up at the mirror, and there was someone entirely different from the reflection I had become accustomed to, yet somewhere in the reflection of a beautiful, graceful stranger, I noticed some small familiar features. My skin was the same combination of glowing tan skin and freckles; my eyes were full of life and color. They were the exact shade of seagreen as my brother's yet, my eyes were brighter, and had flecks of gold in them. Closing my eyes, I thought of storm clouds during thunderstorms, visualizing my seagreen eyes changing into the startling notorious stormy gray eyes my mother was known for. I opened my eyes, and somehow, the change of eye color transformed my face, making it more serious-looking, but still impossibly, differently beautiful. The seagreen color pops out with my honey blonde hair color, so I changed them back to the way they were. Back in the closet, I stepped out of my claiming dress. It was even more gorgeous now, with real precious stones lining the silk. While I was changing into my outfit, I noticed that I had filled out in some areas, and clothes looked better on me since it looked like my proportions were even now. A smile spread slowly on my face, and I saw that my teeth were completely straight and white. A chime was coming from outside of the bathroom, and I stepped out of the closet to answer it with a newfound confidence.