Author Notes: This has been fixed and replaced becuase of my friend Fathom FEE kindly said the last one sucked. Here you go.
I dreamed I was sitting in between Bianca's legs while she
absentmindedly played with my curly mess of hair. We were watching a
black and white movie, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out
what was going on. But Bianca was watching with wrapped attention, so
I was content. I watched as the characters did various of things that
made the pretend audience laugh.
A few minutes passed and I felt myself getting drowsy when I heard a
hesitant knock at the door. Immediately I knew it was Hazel, my father
and Persephone wouldn't have been hesitant, hell, they wouldn't have
knocked at all. I scrambled out of Bianca's legs that had found it's
way around my waist and opened the door.
I was meet by big, brown eye's, red-rimmed with un-shed tears. "What's
wrong, Hazy?" I said in a soothing voice reserved only for my sisters.
Instead of answering, she sniffled and held her arms upwards. I picked
her up, swinging her around to rest on my slim hip and kicked the door
closed behind us. She curled around me as I began to rub circles on
her back with my thumb. She let out another sniffle, and this time,
Bianca's head snapped up. She raised her right eyebrow; giving me a
questioning look. I shrugged and back down on the edge of the bed. I
felt the bed move when Bianca moved to sit beside me.
"What's wrong, Jazzy? Was Nico being a meanie to you again?" I rolled
my eyes, ready to give a aggravated retort when Hazel shook her head
against my chest.
"Was daddy or mommy?" Bianca asked; continuing the game of twenty questions.
Another head shake.
"Did you have a bad dream?" That question was rewarded with a curt
nod. I blinked, Hazel usually doesn't get bad dreams from my
knowledge. And when she does, she tells Bianca and she tells me. I
felt like a winner that she came to me and not Bianca. Although; she
only answered when Bianca asked her a question.
"What was it about?" I asked, of course, no answer. Bianca didn't
repeat my question or ask another. Instead she choose to wrap her
skinny, but long arms around us both and gave us a quick squeeze. No
words were needed or passed between us. Soon we were fast asleep,
curled into one another arms.
I woke with tears streaming down my face. The taxi driver turned and
gave me a odd look; I quickly wiped my tears away and hid my emotions
behind my emotionless facade. I looked out the window to avoid his
questioning gaze, I didn't need his pity.
As I watched the city turn to country my thoughts returned to my
family, the dysfunctional family. They family I hated but the one I
always returned too. Damn, I'm masochistic, always returning to
something painful, I mentally sighed. Not anymore.
YT? 'You're leaving forever' mentally starting a mantra. 'You are
staying at the camp for the summer and staying with the girls for the
rest of the school year. Youpromisedthatyoucandothis'
But I couldn't, just thinking of my sister's being left with them,
the one in the hospital and the one who would be left at my parents
mercy. I had no idea what I should do. Leave or stay?
The taxi let out a high pitch shriek, pulling me out of the dark
recessive's of my mind.
"We're there," the taxi man cracked his neck, before pulling over to
the side of a dirt rode "you sure you want stop here? Looks deserted
to me."
I nod my head, paid, and gathered my luggage in record breaking time
before waving goodbye to the driver.
" I was going to see my friends" I said reassuringly, he still looked
skeptical but refrained from asking more.
I watched as dust was kicked up, creating a cloud. I stood there,
watching as my last chance of going home become farther and farther
away until finally turning into a speck; then nothing at all.
The trek up to the camp was surprisingly short. Although the second
hill was quite steep, but the sight was worth it. I never been one to
'stop and smell the roses' as Bianca would put it, but the view of
nature surprisingly or not was beautiful. The camp was spread before
me. A Sky blue house was at the center, with twelve smaller cabins
around it, around the main houses lay sports fields and a miniature
forest that was pretty thick.
Coming up the slope to me was a head covered in wavy hair. Valentina.
I was relieved it was her, out of the three, Valentina wouldn't push
me for answers, she already knew. She stop a few inches from my face,
waiting. Waiting for what, I didn't know. Valentina, for lack of
better wording, was bipolar. She could be recalcitrant and uncouth one
minute to indifferent and cold the next. Although, her mood changes
weren't all that random if you knew what to look for.
She continued to stare, red eyes meeting brown. Valentina always had a
thing for color contacts, don't ask me why, I've known this girl for
the better part of my life and I still couldn't figure out her
obsession; she would always change her story every time someone asked.
"Are you going to stand there all day?" She snapped, turning on her
wedge shoes and walking away. Great, Ice Queen. I followed without
another word.
As we passed a giant pine tree that seemed to mark the border of the
camp we were stopped by a blond.
"Hold it!" The tan blonde held up his hands, signifying to stop.
Valentina just rolled her eyes and kept walking, I wish she would
'warm' up soon. This time we were stopped by force, the blond grabbed
Valentina wrist, immediately she turned and smacked him. I would've
found it funny if he wasn't glaring murder. I was about to intervene
because one, you don't touch Valentina. Second, you don't mess with
Valentina when she was in 'Ice Queen' mode.
"Why you-!"
"Luke!" Screamed a all to familiar voice. Annabeth jogged towards,
equipped in only daisy dukes and a crop top. God, that girl can be
slutty when she wants to be. Her outfit drew 'Luke's' attention, but
he still looked raging mad. But apparently he did like Annabeth
because he let go of Valentina, we were both momentarily forgotten. He
broke out into a smile, I scoffed, little snake. I liked to protect my
girls, and he looked like the kind of guy who forgot what the word
'protection' meant.
"Hey Anna" her purred, his eyes roaming to Annabeth's unmentionable
regions. " I just found Valentino with some creep, nuffing I can't
handle"
Annabeth raised her eyebrow. "Well this creep, as you put it, is my
best friend. Nico this is Luke, Luke this is Nico" Luke was looked
appropriately bashful as Annabeth ran to give me a hug. Back turned,
Luke shot me a glare, I rolled my eyes. Was it my fault he insulted
me?
"Sorry" Luke said, not looking sorry at all. "Meant nothing by it, how
about I give you a tour of the camp?" I narrowed my eyes. I don't know
what, but something about this guy rubbed me the wrong way. But before
I could contemplate it more, Annabeth interjected "I think he should
see Chiron first."
I frowned. Chiron?
"Sure, any thing for you Beth's," Luke said, " You take to Chiron,
Valentine?- Vala-Ve-Va-" he stuttered.
"Valentina, bakayario" Vv scolded, pronouncing her name like 'Val-uh-tein-uh'.
"Yah, you, whatever, you do that so me and Bethy can have some alone
time." Luke his arm around carelessly around Annabeth's shoulders, she
blushed and nodded. I scowled, I think I finding Luke more agitating
than Hazel on one of her sugar highs. I felt a rush of guilt and
misery as I thought of my sister.
Valentina nodded and walked away, without another word, but still
stomping on Luke's foot. I guess she didn't like him, like me. Or she
was still in one of her moods, I hoped it was the former.
I followed her.
We walked past fields, and fields . Kids were everywhere. None younger than seven. They seemed to be a curious mix of super rich
kids, and ghetto poor kids. They all stared at us, I glowered back at
them. I was used to it, I was the new goth guy, who could blame them.
We continued to walk, scurting around the horseshoe shaped cluster of
cabins and walking near a lake. Kids were swimming while a older boy
seemed to act like lifeguard, he looked vaguely familiar, but before I
could get a closer look Valentina gripped my wrist and pulled me
along.
We were walking towards the large blue house I originally saw on the
hill. It was bigger than I had first assumed, more of a Victorian
mansion than a house. Never the less it was delapititated, I could see
were the white trim began to peel, showing the moldy wood underneath;
it didn't look especially stable, even though, I happily followed
Valentina inside.
The inside was nothing anyone would have expected, though Tina looked
unfazed by disastrous beauty that laid before us. Towering piles of
books, old vinyl records, nick nacs, and old antique artifacts. Some
of the stuff looked really valuable, but some looked to ancient to be
worth much; like it been decaying too long.
A hoarse voice called out "someone there?" I heard a high-pitched
squeal, like a rusty door that hasn't been moved in a while. I hear
the sound again as a man came around a stack of Counselors Today, a
bronze, rusty sword balancing imperfectly on top.
He momentarily froze as he looked me over, I did the same. He was
sitting in a mechanical wheelchair, his hair was pure white hair
leading me to believe he was in his mid to late fifties. He was guise
in a tweed jacket and matching pants, a cotton shirt and a bow tie. He
looked like he stepped out of the forties. Not necessarily a bad
thing, I found the forties fascinating. The man seemed to snap out of
his reverie and a smile crept on to his ancient face "who might this
child be?" I figure he was talking to Valentina considering he was
facing her. She answered.
"Nico? I don't remember seeing a Nico on the registry list" Valentina
just smiled.
"he missed the bus, sir"
"What does that have to do with registration?" I felt my body go cold,
I haven't thought of that. "You two stay here-I'll go check." And
with that, he turned and left.
I turned to Valentina, " I guess you guys didn't think this all the
way through, did you?" I hissed.
Valentina let out a inhumane growl. "I didn't think it would matter!
Besides it was Rachel's idea, where the stupid red head anyway?" she
began to pace "leaving me with an ungrateful brat like you." She
muttered more insults under her breath, not caring if I heard or not.
I sat down in a Lazy Boy recliner near the entrance, immediately
kicking up dust, triggering me allergies. I let out a string of
powerful sneezes until someone shoved a hanky underneath my nose. I
snatched it, I couldn't say thank you even if I wanted to. When my
sneezes subsided, only then did I notice the man return and
Valentina's absences.
He gave me a gentle smile before clearing in throat loudly "Hello, my
name is Chiron, camp director. It seems that your story has check out,
sorry I have doubted you, child. Things have been hectic since Mr. D
disappearance...although that is neither here nor there. I like to
offer you a warm welcome and a tour, but that time has passed. These
legs aren't what they use to be, son" he gave a low chuckle before
continuing "come, let's get you settled in. I had sent Miss. Delevanto
to retrieve your luggage so you can settle in your cabin.
Fortunately, we have someone willing to share. He is the new surfing
instructor, I cannot remember his name. Peter Johnson, perhaps? No, no
that doesn't sound quite right." I left Chiron to his thought as
continuous muttered names similar names. After awhile, he had
apparently given up as reached the "half-way" point to my cabin. I
Adams to tired to really notice anything other than the fact that the
sun had dropped completely and my legs felt like lead. So easily
breakable.
We stopped at sea blue painted cabin. It was one of the largest, but
definitely not the prettiest. It has a plain, simple design of waves moving in a cartoonist fashion. Chiron knocked as we neared the door.
Two seconds later, it was opened by a curly haired, acne ridden teen
around my age. He was only wearing a towel that was wrapped around his
waist, a little to low for my taste.
"What's up?" He said, leaning against the door. Chiron let out a sigh
through his nose.
"Mr. Underwood, would be you please put some clothes and stop
traumatizing us?" He just shrugged and moved to the couch in the
living room, legs spread.
"Yo, Percy!" Underwood yelled, grabbing a bowl of chips from the table.
"What?"
"We got a new roommate, come take a look!" I heard a grumbled reply as
I heard footsteps coming down the stairs to my left.
The footsteps froze. I turned to come to face to face with the last
person I thought I'd see here.
Percy Jackson was my new roommate.
Did not see that coming.
Author Notes: I don't know why it looks like this, don't ask. I tried fixing it, won't work.