The lake glistens perfectly reflecting the clear blue sky along with the surrounding pine trees. A fresh breeze surrounds me as my bare feet lightly glaze over the surface of the water; my moment of absolute peace is ruined by the sound of feet on the wooden deck. He stops right next to where I sit, I don't need to turn my head to him to know that he probably either has his arms crossed over his chest or at his hips. We stay silent for a while neither one of us wanting to break the silence just yet until I do.
"I'm going to miss this view," I speak softly, not wanting to make too much noise.
"You wouldn't miss it if you stayed here. You don't have to leave camp or New York." He replies in a soft but stern tone.
"It's not of matter of me having to, I know I don't have to leave. But I feel like I need to for my own sake, to clear my head. A place where I'm not constantly reminded of the people I have lost."
It has become too hard to be constantly reminded of people who are no longer with us. The night terrors have gotten worse, it has gotten to the point where a peaceful sleep has become more distance apart. Waking up screaming every night after seeing deaths of friends, then to be surrounded by reminders the whole day. It's an endless cycle that has become exhausting and draining, I don't know
"What does he say of you leaving and going across the country?" He says after a moment of silence, taking in my words.
"He supports me; thinks it might help me. That we may be able to see each other more other now we're both going to be in the same time zone." The corners of my lips lift slightly as I think of him.
He hums before he speaks, "Well since he thinks it's a good idea and knowing how stubborn you can be, there no point in arguing with you anymore."
I whip my head to finally look up at him and gasp loudly and exaggerating, "Did the great Perseus Jackson, son of the Poseidon, finally claim defeat against his little sister?"
"Enjoy the victory little sister."
"Ohhh I am!" Our laughter echoes throughout the lake until we are interrupted by a small and shy voice.
"I apologize for interrupting but Chiron sent me to tell you that your car is ready to take you to the airport." A kid said, a bit nervous as if we were going to yell at him.
Percy and I automatically grimace and shivering with goosebumps at the word "airport". After we were nearly blasted by Zeus the first time we flew, we kind of learned to avoid airports and flying.
"Tell Chiron that meet him in the entrance in a bit," I inform him with a nod signally him to leave. As soon as he out of view, I twist my body to face Percy while lifting my feet from the edge planting them flat on the wood while staying sitting keeping my legs bent, so I reach out a hand to Percy.
"What?" He mocks at me.
"C'mon! Help me up!" I reach out my hand, wiggling them as throw him a huge smile. "Please, please, please, please!"
He huffs exaggeratingly but ends up gripping my hand. I smirk as purposely put no effort to get up, letting my body limp making a little harder on Percy. I chuckle at his effort to get me on my feet, and once he realizes of my weak attempt to get up, he begins to laugh alongside me.
"Get up!" He speaks in between laughs. "Bella!"
"I'm trying! Ha-ha-ha!" I wasn't.
After another round of laughter, I finally push myself off the ground, and with the help of Percy I manage to get a bit of jump in the air. This leads me to crash into him causing us to almost fall into the lake. Which causes us to burst into more laughter at the almost mishap. After we calm down, I bend down to put on my shoes, and then we make our way off the deck.
"Are you sure flying through an airplane is the best option?" Percy questions me with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm sure I'll be fine this time," I bump my shoulder with his. "Besides I already spoke with Zeus when I told the others of my plans. And he told me…" I inhale deeply and deepen my voice as I begin to quote Zeus. "…that no harm would come to his son's fiancé."
Percy chuckles at my lame attempt of a masculine voice. "Well that's good to hear."
"My thoughts exactly."
Our laughter rang out as we continue our walk deeper into camp leaving the lake behind us.
"Well this is it. Thank you all for taking the time from your training to wish me safe travel." I state as I look at everyone to come to the entrance to wish me farewell and a safe journey. "By the way does anyone where Nico is? I haven't seen him tell him goodbye."
"No really knows where he's off to these days," Annabeth speaks out with a shrug. "But I'm sure he'll visit you when he gets the chance."
"Oh," I exhale, disappointed. "Well, in that case, I said all my goodbyes, even to
Festus. So I guess that's it, everyone can return to their training or task."
Some mumble more farewells as they disbursed, leaving only Percy, Annabeth, Chiron and Mr. D at the entrance with me.
"All in all this has been a very exhausting farewell and a complete waste of my time. Thus I bid you all goodbye. Later, Becca." Mr. D walks off, probably off to sulk of the misery that is his life.
"It's Bella!" I yell off to him in which he replies with a simple flick of his hand in a brush off manner. "He never changes, that's for sure."
"If it's one thing that you can be sure of never changing is Dionysus," Chiron states with a chuckle as we watch Mr. D walk away from us.
"He said something similar about us "heroes" once," I reply with a sour tone.
"Nevertheless, this camp will surely miss you, as well I." Chiron meets my eye, which beginnings to shine with unfallen tears.
I clear my throat and sniffle, trying my best not to cry. The last thing I want to do start crying in front of him. Diverting my eyes away from him so I can regain my composure and with a deep breath I finally speak, "And I will miss you as well Chiron, but it's not like I'll be gone forever. I mean, I will come for the summer or if my attendance is needed."
"But it certainly won't feel the same, now will it?"
"I suppose you're right…" I murmur "…this time."
I have never been on an airplane, let alone the airport but I have heard horrible stories of airports from my classmates of their experiences during their travels. My mom kept wiggling her hands, her eyes kept bouncing around the airport, and every few minutes she would shift her weight to the other legs. I look at her never-ending movements, her eyes constantly checking today's flight schedule, especially flight DL3651.
I make eye contact with Percy, I hold his gaze for a minute before I smirk and let my eyes shift back to mom. I repeat my motion two more times after he, finally, gets the hit to look at mom. He studies her for a minute while I look for his reaction, he chuckles for second and looks back at me, and then we both roll our eyes. We continue to wait in line every so often waking a couple of steps, inching closer and closer to the front desk at a painfully slow pace.
"Do they always take this long?" I say after we move up a little bit more. We've already been in the line for twenty minutes and at this pace we were looking at another fifteen to twenty minutes' tops before we were up. I glance at the watch on the wrist, I still had an hour and a half before my flight but I didn't exactly want to push it either.
"It usually depends on the time of year, like holidays, summer or spring break. I would say that the busiest time of the year is November through January with March and April for spring break," Paul responds politely with both hands stuff in the pockets of his jacket. It's August so maybe it was a little busy due to all the students flying back in or out for a new school year. A new year in a new school, that's not new for me.
While the plane ride went smoothly that didn't exactly stop me from clenching the armrest tightly. Despite my internal fears that Zeus could shoot the plane with a lightning bolt causing the plane to plummet to its death, it was a rather pleasant ride. The sky looks so tranquil and still as if the world below and its problem simply vanish, time stood in a vast sea of a blue sky with gentle waves of white clouds. Seeing this view almost made me wish that the plane never lands, but when it did eventually land, my body finally sagged in relief and happiness.
They stood next to each, with both arms cross over their chess, feet were shoulder-width apart, and their backs straighten perfectly without a hint of slouching. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at their stance.
"You guys, the idea was to blend in with the crowd. Not look like two teenage spies ready to pull guns from your jackets. I bet some people are ready to see a chase through the airport," I huff exaggeratedly when I finally reach them, dropping my carry-on by my feet to free my arms.
Jessica cracks a smile first before wrapping her arms around me in a gentle but firm hug in which I return equally. We laugh as we hug each other and twist and sway our bodies jokingly that results in both of us almost falling. Causing us to laugh louder, in which we probably got stares from other people around us.
"I'm so glad that you here! But most importantly alive and in one piece," She jokes as we both loosen our arms and step back.
"I swear, every time there was turbulence I felt like heart jump out of my body!" I laugh as I begin to turn my attention to Mike.
"Hey, how are you?" I question him as I wrap my arms around him in which he returns.
"I'm doing good. What about yourself?"
I exhale deeply as I step back from a hug, I inhale deeply before exhaling once more before I answer his question. "I'm doing…okay. I feel better than I did a couple of months, so that's good. But, then again… if I felt okay and good then I wouldn't exactly move from the only place I call home, leaving behind my mom, dad, stepdad, and brother to a small town literally on the opposite side of the country where I only know two people. So, to answer your question Michael, I'm not doing as okay and good as I like to think I am. But hopefully, that changes soon."
"And hopefully our small town will be able to give what you need," Mike responds with an encouraging gaze as he squeezes my arms in comfort.
"You and me both, and hey, there is an upside to all of this," I exclaim loudly as Mike bends to lift my bag off the ground, and we begin our way to baggage claim.
"What's that?" Jessica says, linking her arm with mine.
"I have a whole house to myself!" I said, while I knew that I would live by myself for the rest of my high school career, it didn't fully hit until now. There was a rush of excitement with a bit of nervousness and, to be completely honest, fear. I have always lived with someone, my mom or Percy, or a roommate in the dorms. There was someone there, now there was no one. No one to tell to keep my side of the room clean, because they hate to see a dirty room (most of my roommates), or to always clean my dishes after I use them (my mom). And worst of all not having to deal with Percy's loud snoring, which at times sounded like he was choking on his salvia.
"True, giving us the perfect place to hang out with no parent supervision," Jessica nods before speaking again. "Allowing us to have privacy for serious matters and discussions. While also providing you with space to- "
"And let us not forget that it is a great place to throw kickbacks or parties. The house is in the outskirts of town with no neighbor nearby to disturbed- "
"Oh no! That's not going to happen!" I interrupt Mike's interruption, "The last thing I need is to get in trouble with the law, let alone be the center of attention."
"Well that already happened as you will you be the only high school student with an entire house to themselves, and the fact that the lie of you being emancipated is the reason you are leaving alone. It kind of puts a mark on you."
"If that the case then throwing parties and kickbacks is definitely off the table. Besides, you're here to be my advisors: to guide me, help me make the right choices, give advice when I ask for it, and all the crap." I retort with a raised eyebrow in Mike's direction.
"Yeah I know," He replies with a smirk, in which I huff lightly. "But I think that a party is a great idea!"
"Oh really? Do tell!" Jessica states as we reach baggage claim allowing us to stop and stare at Mike as he responds.
"One, a party will allow Bella to socialize and make new friends," He points out.
"I can do that at school. What's your next argument?"
"Two, get you out of your comfort zone." He says back with a grin.
"Once again… school." I retort back.
"Okay, fine! My third and final reason is, that it gives you a typical mortal experience. To do something that you know you're not supposed to do, but doing it anyway, damn the consequences. And you may regret the next morning but when you look back in 10 or 15 years, you're glad it happened. You haven't done anything like that."
I think on that one, he's not completely wrong. I never really have a normal childhood, always changing schools constantly got in a way of making friends. It became too hard, painful knowing that eventually, I'll have to say goodbye, it became easier to keep my distance. But hearing and watching from afar of what other kids my age were joking around with each or talking of what happened the previous weekend create different forms of pain. I'd always wonder what it would feel like to be a normal, fully human teenager in the 21st century, then again normal was over-rated.
"Fair point…but I'm not really in the mood to host a party."
"And a party will bring more problems and unwanted attention so it's no. Okay, Mike?" Jessica raises both her eyebrows and stares up at Mike with a stern look.
"Yeah, yeah. No party, no problems," Mike answers.
"Okay, that's settled and look, just in time," I point out as the baggage carousel begins to move. "Now let's get my stuff and head out. I just want to get settled in for school on Monday
