Chapter Eight
Cloud caws loudly, as if saying, "Hurry up!" I thank Caston's father and mount Cloud. We fly out of the giant's castle and Cloud dives directly downwards. He lands gently onto the field of a schoolyard, and some kids excitedly scream, "Horsey!" Cloud prances away in fright from the mob of kids chasing him and I giggle.
"Kayla!" a hushed voice whisper yells. I turn around and see Caston and Carlos, a boy from Athena hiding behind some bushes. I join them and Caston wraps me in his arms. I feel secure and safe for a moment, encased with a boy who can talk his way out every situation. However, my curiosity gets me and I ask, "What are you guys doing here?" Carlos points to two girls swinging with each other. "See those kids? That one is a child of Aphrodite, the other one is a brain child." He uses the nickname for Athena's kids, and I immediately tell which one is which. Athena's child was yammering on about a project in class while Aphrodite's kept smiling to the many admirers around her. We approach them as they get off the swings.
"You don't have gray eyes!" Carlos shrieks as one of the girls turns to face him. They looked around ten-years-old and were very confused. "Of course I don't," Athena's child says calmly. "There's not enough genetics to prove that I had a possibility of getting gray eyes." "But you're a child of-" Carlos starts, but Caston clamps his hand of Carlos' mouth. When I see the girl clearly, I understand Carlos' shock. Most of Athen's children have gray eyes, whereas the girl had pine green eyes. She had the blonde hair, but it was extremely straight and smooth like polished stone. Aphrodite's child was probably one of the prettiest children to exist. She had stunning, icy blue eyes that was leveled by her roasted-marshmallow colored hair that melted into bouncy curls. When she smiled at Caston and me, her flawless pale skin turned a rosy pink.
"Girls, do you mind if I ask a personal question?" Caston asks. The girls shake their head, and Caston continues, "Do you have a biological mother?" Aphrodite's child shakes her head while Athena's makes a face a says, "I have a mom who looks nothing like me. She might not be my biological mother." Caston nods and calmly replies, "Promise not to freak out girls, but your actual mother is a Greek goddess. Yours is Athena and yours is Aphrodite." The girls grasp each other's arms and shriek silently in delight. Caston smiles as if saying, "Told ya," and I notice his eyes. Caston's eyes are framed with dark and thick eyelashes and his eyes are such a deep blue, it's closer to purple. I love the color and the way his eyes soften as he looks at the excited duo.
"What are your names?" Caston asks, pulling me out of my daze. "I'm Jenna, and that's Mia," Aphrodite's child says. Her voice is high but ladylike, sounding like tiny bells chiming against each other. "Usually at camp, we wait for your godly parent to send their signature sign, but after observing you two, we knew exactly who your parents were," Caston explains. Jenna and Mia nod in understanding, and resume their giddy dancing.
When we lead the kids back to camp, I tell them that I won't be joining them. In reality, I chucked rocks at another spot on the force field until it shattered. I crawled through the hole and spotted Jenna sitting by herself. She looked down, so I join her.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
Jenna's eyes turn a bitter blue like a snowstorm and she replies, "All my father ever told me to do is hate. He told me to not go searching for love, because it was going to trample my heart and leave me in tears. When I met Mia, I let my guard down as bit. Now, surrounded by people who are like me and don't have a parent, I'm not sure I can stay without breaking my father's philosophy." She turns to face me and I see small tears forming. "Kayla, is it okay? Is love sometimes good?"
I sigh and answer, "Love is a strange thing, but you need to face it or you'll never overcome your fears. People probably have had their hearts broken at least once, but we always have or need motivation to keep on going. Be strong, Jenna. And nothing can get to you." Jenna smiles at my speech, and gets up. She leads me to where Mia and her cabin were sitting.
I say hi to Carlos and the other Athena kids while Mia grabs onto Jenna and leads her to see the Athena cabin. A few minutes later, Mia comes out with several throwing knives while Jenna bears a bow and arrows, each shiny with hardened centaur blood. They look plenty lethal, especially with Jenna's dark clothes. Mia wears a bloodred coat and her hair is covered with the hood. Her green eyes sparkle as she smiles at the crowd. Jenna whispers something, and Mia hands her the coat. Jenna then slinks away and blends with the shadows. For the rest of the night, we never see her again.