It got easier as things got harder. She had done something terrible, but in seconds, a false story had sprouted from her mouth. Her sing-song voice swam into the ears of all that could hear her as she spoke yet another tale that was anything but true, though highly believable. Lying became a reflex. It was natural. When someone asked a question, Silena lied. It was her immediate reaction. Lie, lie, and lie.

Bending the truth was an art Silena became quite familiar with. No one at Camp had to know. Charlie didn't have to see her as a traitor. Erasing all honesty, nothing could harm her. Luke would keep Charlie and her safe. He wouldn't be killed. All she had to do was tell one small fib, followed by another larger one, and another. It was that easy. She wanted protection. He wanted information. It was a done deal, settled without hesitation. Nothing was more important that Charlie's life. No matter how many promises she had broken she was pleased. Silena could forget about every untruth she'd ever told because he was safe. The tangled mess of betrayal made by the Aphrodite child didn't matter to her, in a way, even though it also meant everything to her. It was both meaningless and necessary for her existence. The lies were the reason she could have this, so they were her life. Suddenly, anything could become one of those small deceptions. Suddenly, things as simple as what she ate for breakfast were made into complex stories that were anything but reality. It was the only thing she had.

Sometimes it amazed the girl. It was to her what fashion, make up, and romance was to her cabin mates. Of course, those things would always be special to her, too, but somehow lying became a replacement. Every detail in it became something to hold onto. Maybe if she could convince someone else that, really, she was with Charlie the whole time, she could convince herself. If she told enough of these fantasies, they could be true. She could be looking no farther than her next bottle of sparkly pink nail polish or custom-made fuchsia bag. That could have been all. That was what she loved about those lies. They showed her that it wasn't so far off. They showed her how beautiful things could be. All she had to do was speak them. All she had to do was pretend. And it, in its own twisted way, would become true. In a wicked sense, her betrayal was the best thing in Silena's world.

Winding evilly around everyone's beliefs, it blinded those who were unaware and scorched the ones who knew. It was the art at its darkest, its worst. It was also at its best and most beautiful at this time. When everyone believed what they had been told, the spider web of falsities wound tighter. It became slowly more elaborate with each word Silena spoke. It was becoming a masterpiece. Its braches became thicker, longer, but also more delicate. With each syllable she pronounced, the web became both stronger and more fragile. Every sentence spoken was another edition to her carefully sewn quilt. Meaningless words danced through the air. "I'll just be heading to my cabin early," or "Nothing's wrong, Charlie, honestly," for example. Neither thing was true. She would be thinking. She would be thinking about everything she'd said since she had started helping Luke. ("Why would you think that, Chiron?" or "Oh my gods, a spy?") In a way, it was something she wanted to be proud of. No one suspected her, and no one was hurt by her. It was a wonderful thing, to tell a lie.

But, ironically enough, truth rivaled this.

Every word her boyfriend said was real. No matter what came out of his mouth, there wasn't a single lie. Without a doubt, he was honest. One look into his eyes, one glance at him told her everything. Immediately, Silena could tell that he would never lie to her. His brown gaze reminded her of a puppy's—so sweet and innocent, sparkling with unmistakable kindness. He was also sort of like a deer, strong, but helpless, dangerous, but not without a reason to be, intelligent, but clueless. Like a deer, Silena added bitterly, that got run over. And in this case, she would be the sixteen-wheeler coming at sixty miles an hour at the beautiful creature without any control.

Charlie was the opposite of her in many ways, aside from the obvious, such as appearances and godly parents. Of course, they had different interests. There was more. Every time Silena came near the boy, she automatically felt his presence. She could tell, even blindfolded, that he was honest, caring, and brave. He was everything Silena wasn't. She was supposed to be caring, but she hardly cared for anyone. The only people that mattered were herself and Charlie now. If those were the only thing she could save, those were the only thing she could care about—she wouldn't let herself become attached to someone or something desperately out of reach, like Camp Half-Blood or her father. Aphrodite was supposed to be about love, but she hardly knew it. Charlie, on the other hand, did. And, more importantly, he knew about trust and truth, two of the most important things Silena had ever known, and two of the things Silena lost. Her boyfriend trusted her. He told her the truth. It was more than she could ever do. She would always admire him for it.

But truth and trust are like a thin sheet of glass. They're easy to destroy. Betrayal is a two ton boulder crashing down on the glass. Of course, if the betrayal is hidden, the glass stays whole. When the betrayal leaks, it's even worse.

"I'll be going for the mission soon."

He was about to go and risk his life. He was about to lose his life, because of her, because she told Luke already. He was going away to die. Luke had lied, just like her, and suddenly, the lies held less beauty. "I'm sorry," Silena whispered. She was. It was the first thing she had honestly said for weeks.

Beckendorf looked over at her. He looked confused and sad. "For what, capture the flag?"

She smiled sadly; if only capture the flag was her biggest worry, if only her biggest regret was in a game they played at camp. "It's not important." The lies were already returning. She had spoken only two words before they crashed over her again. It made things easier, but it stung with each word. "I'm just sorry," she finished, and there was some truth in the statement.

He looked into her ever-changing eyes, as if he was trying to read her mind. Charlie gave up. "It's okay, I guess." The boy smiled at her.

She looked up from the ground. Her eyes were impossibly in between a glare and a smile.

"I love you," Beckendorf said genuinely. Silena smiled at how sure he sounded.

"I love you, Charlie," Silena muttered. She might have meant it.

The daughter of the love goddess wasn't sure. She pretended like she believed it fully. If she meant it, she could keep that. If it were the truth, she could struggle through everything she was doing, everything she had done, and everything that was coming up. She could tell a few more lies, add a few more pieces to the web that never stopped growing.

She hoped it was the truth.

AN: Bleh. That was definitely not my best. That just proves my theory that the longer the piece is, the worse I do. I like some of it, but barely. I'll post it for now, but I might edit it or just plain get rid of it. I don't know. I might just keep it out of laziness, though. Hm. The next one's about Tyson, though. I really hope I do it justice.
-Lexi