Thankfully I did not have to go back to my cabin alone, because Luke was there waiting for me, guessing that I would be feeling rotten and terrified for Percy. I invited him inside, but he hesitated, telling me that it wasn't really polite to go in and out of someone else's cabin when they weren't that cabin's patron's child and also…boys and girls weren't supposed to be alone in a cabin together. I scoffed. "I really couldn't care less about insulting Poseidon right now. Because of him and his stupid pride, my brother is on his first quest at twelve. For all I care, Poseidon can go drown in the River Styx." Luke sucked in his breath expectantly, but nothing happened so I assumed dear old dad had let that insult slide. Probably because he knew I was right. However Luke accepted my invitation as I made it formal, allowing him to cross over the threshold and come inside for a bit. "I don't like this. At all. If it weren't for the curse on my eyes, I could be going instead of Percy. He'd be safe here, and I could be doing all the dangerous work."
"It's not your fault Lils. If it's anyone's, it's that person." I did not need to ask who he was referring to, because I agreed. Sitting down on my bed I kicked off my shoes and crossed my legs in order to fret and worry, twisting at my bracelet again. "You know you do that when you're anxious. Fiddle with your bracelet." Luke noted as he came and sat at the far end of the bed with me, making himself comfortable. "Where'd you get it?"
"My mom. Years ago now. I don't think I've taken it off since." Part of me wished I had given it to Percy though, kind of as a good luck charm for him since it had worked well for me, though I knew he would have point blank refused to wear a girl's bracelet even if it meant it would magically save his life or transport him away from danger. He could be pigheadedly stubborn sometimes, just like me. "Do…do you think he'll be okay?"
"Percy's got Annabeth and Grover with him, and I know Annabeth will always have a plan. I don't think anyone else would be better suited to go with him, so I think he'll be fine. You just have to have faith. He'll be back before you know it. Who knows? Maybe this quest will be easier than you think." I know he was only saying this to make me feel better, but still it helped to hear them. "Come on, you can't mope around here all day worrying. Let's get some practice in. We'll do some more with your footwork, if you like?" Reaching out I felt Luke take my hands and give a light pull but not forcefully, letting me decide whether to stay or go. I chose to go, because he was once again right. Worrying about Percy and doing nothing was not going to help him. I need to train and get myself into shape, and work on my skills so that next time, this wouldn't happen again. I could take a quest instead of Percy, then I wouldn't have to worry about him so long as he was safe here, within the boundary. To this end I was eternally grateful towards Luke because the sword practice helped to clear my head, and I was steadily improving. I wasn't getting beat up so much in the group classes, though I was still a far cry from being classed as 'good'.
I have no idea how I managed the next couple of days, but I owed it mostly to Luke and the other campers, whose sympathy for my worries outweighed their nervousness of me. They would talk to me whenever our paths crossed, trying to remain upbeat and cheerful but every time I turned my back, I could feel their expressions grow sad and sympathetic, their whispers murmuring about Percy and how unlucky it was that I had to stay behind because I couldn't help. I guess they still didn't realise I had really good ears. Clarisse was an absolute nightmare, making comments about Percy getting killed by monsters, and each time I would rise to the bait and do something that would land me in trouble. Usually it was throwing something at her, and one time it was actually my training sword which after I had thrown it, landed in post next to her head with the signs pointing in different directions. Luke swore that it had almost taken off her ear and laughed to see Clarisse's face go so pale so quickly, though I was then put on clean up duty at the stables as punishment for nearly killing Clarisse. To be honest, I was so close to actually throttling her that I would have accepted any punishment as a consequence. Anyway, mucking out horses and pegasi wasn't anything glamorous but it put me away from Clarisse, who had already done her share of her mucking out punishment in the morning. Seems like Chiron was now adamant to keep us as far apart from one another as possible.
When I got there, however, I could hear so many voices that it started to make my head hurt so I pulled on my headphones and muffled the sounds slightly, though I no longer had any music to drown them out. I had to carry out my punishment with someone else who was also in trouble for something, an Apollo kid who'd almost set fire to some wood nymphs with a stray flaming arrow that he shouldn't have been messing with. He lazed around mostly, directing me of where the manure was and where to shovel it, and I had to fight the urge to shovel it right in his face. It didn't help that I could still hear the underlying voice of people all around me, and I finally threw down my shovel when I started to hear shouting from outside. I stormed out of there, fully intent on having a row with whoever was making such a racket and telling them to shut up, however as I pulled down my headphones to hang them around my neck, I started to frown as I listened to the voice which gradually grew clearer. 'Let go of me! Unhand me this instant! I am not the likes of those donkey brained dung-breaths! I will not permit you to ride me!' Now that I thought about it, I wasn't so sure I was actually hearing the voice so much as…I don't know. Experiencing it? With a start I suddenly remembered that trip to the ocean world park and hearing thousands of little voices in my head. Don't tell me it's starting again, that's the last thing I need right now.
"Hey!" I shouted with enough force that everyone and everything around me went deadly silent and still. "Whatever you're doing, let her go." I pointed in the direction I had heard the voice coming from, only for one of Aphrodite's kids to answer. Silena Beauregard, she was really nice and not like most of her other siblings, who were prissy and prude. She worked a lot with the horses and pegasi around here, so I wasn't surprised to hear her.
"We're just trying to get a halter on this new pegasus, Lily." She explained though she sounded a little confused. "We can't let her go otherwise she'll bolt."
"It sounds to me that she doesn't want to have a halter put on her…wait. Did you just say pegasus?" Before I knew it, I was hearing someone snort and stamp their hooves with a rush of large wings sweeping at the air as Silena and the other handlers cried out before all at once the pegasus charged directly at me, my eyes widening as the voice came back.
'Mistress! Dear child of the great Lord, please save me from these ruffians!' Throwing up my arms to protect my face, the pegasus suddenly pulled to a halt and reared, flapping her wings again so that I felt the rush of air from under them, pulling at my hair and brushing against my cheeks as I slowly lowered my arms until a soft, velvety nose pressed itself to my face and started to nuzzle me with affection, causing me to just stand there in a stupor. 'I would much rather be your mount than to become a mere pack animal for every half-blood to sit on as they please. Take me as your personal companion and I swear to serve you for all the years of our lives. Only you could ever be worthy of one such as I!'
"Oh…um…" Stuttering, I wasn't entirely certain if I was hearing things clearly, because to me it seemed like I could hear the voice of this pegasus who was now nudging at my shoulder and rubbing her head against me, pleading with me to become her mistress. "Um…I'm not anyone's mistress, or lady, or anything like that. Uh…I'm sorry but am I really understanding you? Am I hearing your voice in my head?"
'But of course. Only the child of the Father of Horses could understand us, for we are his creation. You are his daughter, hence why you can hear our voices when we call to you, though you have not answered until now.' The pegasus informed me whilst still pressing against me so I raised my hands and let them rest against the soft coat that felt warm yet firm under my fingertips, brushing against her neck and catching a few of the silk locks of her mane. Even from just feeling and stroking her I could tell that she was beautiful, with a long face and straight nose, large nostrils that felt better than velvet to the touch and tickled as she breathed against my hand, tall and strong with giant wings that continued to flutter lightly from her excitement. 'My name is Snowstorm, you may call me Snow for short, if it pleases you.'
"Snowstorm." I murmured thoughtfully, now utterly transfixed as I continued to stroke her face and head, completely oblivious to the stares and whispers of everyone around me until suddenly, more horses and pegasi began to come rushing towards me, drawn by the fact that I was talking to Snowstorm. They all called out to me and cantered forwards, rubbing their noses all over until I was giggling and laughing at the sensation, trying to stroke them each in turn which made them cheer and celebrate with glee, saying that the daughter of Poseidon had touched their face and that they would remember this great honour for a lifetime. Some tried to shoulder their way past Snowstorm but she spread her wings and I felt the feathers brush against me cheeks as she ordered them back, announcing that she had reached me first and already offered her allegiance. "I'm sorry, but what do you mean by that?"
'Oh, it simply means that you choose who you would like to have as your personal mount. If you choose, then no one else will be permitted to ride us, and we would dedicate our lives to you, to come when you call and carry you wherever you will. It is a great honour to be the mount of a child of Poseidon, and nothing would make us happier but of course, I asked first, so you should consider my offer before anyone else.' Snow answered me, though many complained but she merely brushed them off. I was a little taken aback by this, stuttering in my surprise that it was a very kind offer, but I didn't really know how to ride let alone fly, and that right now I might not be very safe in the air because of the war between the gods. Humming to herself, Snowstorm agreed that this was a good point, but still insisted that she wanted to stay with me, because she hated the thought of just any smelly camper sitting on her back and making her do tricks in the air. I laughed.
"So you wouldn't mind this smelly camper taking a ride on your back?" I pointed out as I lifted my arms for her to sniff, because I probably smelled terribly of manure considering I'd been shovelling it for at least an hour now. Horrified, Snowstorm swept back her wings and hastily corrected herself.
'No of course not, my lady! I did not mean to offend, I simply meant that anyone other than yourself, in my opinion, does not deserve to ride such a fine specimen as myself. I am quite beautiful, you know, and very fast. One of the fastest pegasi around, though I do say so myself. But how dare they force our dear lady to clean up after us! The audacity! I shall kick whoever made you do such a thing.' Now I was laughing again, and I wasn't even sure why. Snowstorm was so full of herself, that much was plain to hear, but I kind of liked that about her. Even though she was arrogant and probably had a little too much self confidence, she was reverent and humble towards me, and the alternating of personality was just so entertaining I couldn't help but smile despite everything. I stroked her face and leaned into her, breathing in her scent and found my previous headache drift away as if the scent of horses comforted me. Ordinary horses smelled quite dusty, but pegasi, or at least Snowstorm, had that same underlying tone but it was cleaner, and I could almost smell she had a crisp scent of snow or a pure summer breeze upon her. I felt her wing flap before it draped itself around me, and I knew that there was no better feeling than this. The others continued to gather close, also wanting to comfort me as they nuzzled at me and even tugged playfully at my hair.
"Um…Lily? Could you possibly explain what's going on?" Tentatively interrupting, I turned my face towards Silena and smiled to her.
"Oh. Turns out I can hear horses and pegasi in my head, and this one is called Snowstorm and she hates everyone except for me, so I guess she's mine now." Snowstorm squealed with excitement and danced on the spot, making me laugh again before I told her to calm down. Asking all the other horses and pegasi nicely, they all returned to where they had come from as some had apparently tossed their riders in order to race to me, and I laughingly asked them never to do that again. At least not on purpose unless their rider was a total ass and they deserved it. They were all more than happy to follow my requests, trotting back merrily and I listened to them go until only Snowstorm remained, her wing still resting around me.
"Wow, I can't believe you can really hear them, though I guess it makes sense since your dad is Poseidon after all." Silena said to me as she approached, though Snowstorm snorted unhappily and told me that the child of Aphrodite was trying to stroke her, so I warned Silena that Snowstorm didn't really want her touching her. "Alright, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. She's quite a wilful thing. We caught her recently, and she has such great potential but I've been trying and failing to tame her for a while now. If she wants you then there's nothing I can do about it, so I guess you'll be needing some lessons. How about now? I can tell Chiron you finished your punishment without complaint, I'll let you off early. It'll be our secret." She said to me and I brightened, Snow's tail swishing happily as she murmured quietly to me that perhaps this Aphrodite child wasn't so bad after all. "I'll just go check on Austin because he usually shirks his duties, but then I'll be back with some tack for you."
'No! No tack!'
"Um, no tack, thank you Silena! Snowstorm doesn't want it!" I called after her as she walked off to check on my fellow muck cleaner, who had done nothing so far. Snowstorm was eager for me to climb onto her back, though I was uncertain until she knelt herself down and instructed me of where to place my hands and how to mount up safely. She told me to stand behind the joint of her wing and take some of her mane into one hand whilst using the other to press against her shoulders so that I could steady myself. From there I could pretty much figure it out, remembering what Chiron had taught me when I was carried on his back and neatly slid my leg over Snowstorm then adopted the riding position.
'Very good, my lady! Now hold on, I am going to stand up now.' She warned me, allowing me time to grip onto her mane and weave my fingers through before she stood up, making me lurch forwards before I gripped on with my thighs to keep my balance. Now I was sitting atop Snowstorm and unable to hide my grin as she tossed her head and swished her tail, wings flapping neatly.
"Wow! You really are tall!" I could feel how tall she was as I sat on her back, looking around and wondering just how far I'd fall if I came off, though something told me that Snowstorm would never allow that to happen. "And your coat is so soft, and your mane feels amazing in my fingers. Do you mind me asking what colour coat you have?"
'Of course not, my lady. I am what is called a palomino. My body is a light creamy colour though it is extremely pale and in certain lights it will appear either almost pure white with a golden shimmer, or in another light a rich golden shade like honey. The hair of my mane and tail are white with streaks of bright silver, crisp like snow and I also have white dapples on my hindquarters which look a little like a snowfall, which is where I take my name. I also have a white streak down the front of my face and a white sock one my left foreleg. Compared to most pegasi I am a rather rare and beautiful example, for I am of an old and precious bloodline. I take great pride in my appearance, but sometimes it is difficult to stay clean and pretty because of dust and dirt. I would be ever so grateful if you would perhaps groom me from time to time. Only if you want to, of course.'
"Of course I will! Just tell me what to do and I'll do it. I think I'd rather enjoy it, to be honest. You do sound like a beautiful pegasus. You will tell me if I'm doing something wrong, won't you? Or if I'm hurting you? Only I won't be able to tell otherwise, since I can't…you know. See." Snowstorm assured me that she would tell me if ever she felt uncomfortable, but right now I was sitting perfectly and that I had a very good natural posture. I admitted that Chiron had taught me a little on how to at least sit on a horse and not fall off because I'd ridden on his back during the last capture the flag game, making her snort and comment that riding a pegasus was far better than a centaur. At that point Silena returned and I heard her laugh as she approached.
"I see you couldn't wait to mount up! Alright then, if you come with me we'll get straight to it. Ordinarily I'd say tap your heels into the flank of your mount to ask them to move forwards, but seeing as you have a rather clever pegasus, I would think that won't be necessary." Silena said and Snowstorm tossed her head and agreed that she was indeed very smart, making me laugh again. It felt good to laugh so much, and as Snowstorm started forwards I felt the coiled power through her body as she strutted – yes strutted – forwards as Silena took a look at my riding position. She made very minor adjustments, telling me to relax and not sit so stiffly, to move naturally with Snowstorm as we made our way to the training grounds. There we started off with the basics, though I seemed to fly through them without too much trouble.
I learned how to sit whilst walking, trotting, and even moving into canter. I learned how to rise and fall with Snow's gait, when to shift my legs, how to give signals and commands though Snowstorm always followed my instructions without question or any disobedience, making Silena marvel at how well she responded. "Weeks! I've spent weeks with that pegasus…now she's completely tamed herself! If I'd known all it took was you Lily, I'd have brought you here ages ago." She laughed and I guiltily apologised for taking over Snowstorm, though Silena was very good natured about it and waved it off. "No, no, I don't mean I blame you or anything so don't be sorry. At least if there's ever another problem with the horses or pegasi, I know who I'm running to for help!" Silena really was just the nicest person ever, and I smiled to her bashfully as she clapped her hands and had me focus back on my lesson. Snowstorm said she was thoroughly enjoying herself, though wished more than anything she could take me flying so that I could feel the wind in my hair and feel the feeling of soaring through the skies.
"Maybe another time, Snow, but right now I think if we tried to fly, you and I would both get zapped into barbeque. By all means though, you can go flying to stretch your wings, I trust you to come back." I said to her and she thanked me for my faith in her. She was quite jittery and excitable, sometimes dancing around on her hooves which forced me to cling onto her and squeak, reminding her that I was still on her back where she would bashfully apologise. From then on Snowstorm came with me everywhere, either walking beside me or letting me ride her, which meant not only did I get to places faster, but I also had someone to watch my back. Snowstorm acted as my seeing-eye guide, warning me if I was straying when my worry over Percy distracted me from where I was walking. She even took it upon herself to describe things to me I hadn't yet gotten descriptions of, even going through each and every cabin and what they looked at with rather expressive detail that made it sound almost like poetry. The Apollo cabin were extremely impressed and pleased when I recited her verse to them, because I thought it was too good to go unappreciated. Snowstorm then bowed her head with a proud snort, lifting her head so high that she almost knocked against me as her tail swished elegantly. She was soon enough everything to me, and I relied on her just as surely as I would rely upon Percy to help me navigate my way through a maze. It was better than being alone, and when I returned to cabin three she came with me, whereupon I went to bed with a lighter heart and even felt good enough to let go of my pride and hatred and prayed to the gods to protect Percy, even to Zeus to beg him to go easy on my brother because he was innocent. I don't know if they heard me or even believed me, but it was enough that I'd tried. I slept uneasily, but that was nothing unusual all things considered, and if I did sleep enough to dream I dreamt of mom and Percy, and a warm glow and a bright smile above me as I was held in strong, secure arms that then lifted me up high into the air like a memory that had never been forgotten.