Disclaimer: I still don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Give it time... give it time.
Luke had proved a lot harder to convince to stay than I had originally thought he would. I had even tried to work up a few tears to get him to stay, but when you're carrying Zeus's chief lightning bolt you don't really want to stay and hang out around camp for a really long time. It was understandable, but he wouldn't have had to leave in the first place if he had just disobeyed The Titans or given someone else his quest. How hard would it have been for someone like Ethan or Tegan to get the lightning bolt? They were disposable to Kronos's cause, I knew very well that if anything happened while I was at camp neither would make any move to help me like Luke would.
I don't miss Luke, if that's what you're thinking. The last time I confided in Clarisse she mocked me mercilessly for having a crush on the moodswinging son of Hermes, but it's really not like that. If I was any other girl it would impossible for me not to have a crush on Luke, but I'm not an average girl. I'm really more of an average boy.
Unfortunately, I do miss the protection that Luke provided despite his annoyingly superior attitude. All the other traitors (all two of them) seemed to realize how slim the chances were that they would live safely in camp once the rumors circulating the loss of Zeus's bolt got out at around the same chance I realized the same thing.
I didn't so much realize, really, as I had the truth shoved up in my face.
"Cynthia?" Tegan had always been a good tracker, but to have her sneak right up behind me was mildly humiliating.
I turned around slowly to faced the auburn-haired daughter of Hermes. Her wide emerald eyes traveled around the Ares cabin warily before her gaze snapped back to my face. "Luke was found."
I blinked uncomprehendingly at Tegan, "Found doing what? Who found him?"
"Delivering the bolt, Cyn." Tegan sounded annoyed by my questions, but I didn't understand the significance of what she was saying. I didn't catch on to things quickly, and Tegan had always enjoyed speaking cryptically and assuming I knew what she was talking about.
My eyes widened. "WHO found him, Teg?"
Tegan rolled her eyes, her lip curling up into a smug smirk. I could tell she was debating whether or not I was going to have to work for the information, it was such a Tegan thing to do, but then she thought better of it. Whatever Tegan was trying to tell me was obviously important enough to keep her from acting like a jerk, and somehow that made this whole thing a lot worse. "Your father, Cyn."
My lips parted in what I assumed was my body's impression of someone's jaw dropping. "But... my father is an Olympian.
Tegan nodded slowly. "Your father was sent by Zeus."
I shook my head quickly, braids whipping into my cheeks. "How do you even know this? If Ares found Luke then he... he wouldn't be able to send a message to us or anything."
"Kelli's IMed us about it, apparently she's with Luke wherever he is."
"The empousa? Why would Luke go to her for help? Doesn't he know she'll suck his soul out?" I scoffed. Luke had always been stupid about going on quests he could never win, but looking towards Hecate's children for help was just idiotic. Especially for boys, Kelli could easily drain him if he annoyed her!
"Right now, Cyn, we're all on the same side. So anyone with human intelligence understands that harming another Titans-supporter isn't wise. Unfortunately, even if none of us hurt each other, that's not saying we're not going to get hurt." At that moment, I really wanted to crush Tegan's skull in for speaking so calmly about things like Luke in danger.
About things like ME in danger. Some people...
"That's impossible. None of the Olympians know about us, except for Luke. Luke wouldn't rat me- us out. He's not like that." Okay, I was starting to understand why everyone assumed I liked Luke because of how much I stalked the boy. Talking like that wasn't going to help me shoot down the rumors, either.
Tegan raised an eyebrow at me. "So you think Luke the Traitor is that honorable?"
"I doubt he'd betray two causes in less than half a year."
"Why wouldn't he? You seem to think that he's already used up his free pass for betraying, but maybe that just made him an unreliable supporter."
"So, what you're saying is by now Luke's probably told Lord Zeus about you and Ethan?" I spoke slowly, trying to avoid saying the words I knew Tegan wanted to sink in.
"And you, Cynthia. Luke would have ratted you out, too."
"What do you suggest we do?" My voice was dangerously quiet, almost making Tegan seem loud. I raised my eyes to look the daughter of Hermes over, frowning slightly.
She grinned, "We're leaving, Cyn. Ethan and I are going, it's your choice if you plan on joining us but it would really be a same for you to die this early on in the war. Kronos could use you if you didn't insist on nobility in everyone."
I blinked at her, pursing my lips. This was one of the few times when I chose to listen to something other than my internal survival instincts, and Tegan was not helping me believe they're correct. "I didn't suggest nobility in everyone, Tegan. But I do believe that Luke wouldn't give the Olympians my name. So you and Ethan can run all you want, I'll be staying at camp."
I couldn't tell if Tegan was going to knock me out and drag me with her or laugh in my face. Both were very possible options for her. But she just grinned wider and nodded at me, "Well then, keep us posted, Cyn. As long as you survive, of course."
The demigoddess pivoted around on the heel of her combat boots and strode off towards the door of the Ares cabin, pausing for just a second with hand on the doorknob. "But, if you do intend to live at camp, don't just run away randomly, Cynthia. You're staying here, okay?"
I opened my mouth to question her motives behind this command but in an instant Tegan had flung the door open and disappeared outside the Ares cabin. I could never tell if she did that to look dramatic and graceful or if she really just exited rooms like that but I wasn't one to complain.
Of course not. I like Hermes brats showing me up at everything. It really helped my ego.
Enh. People say I need to work on humility anyway, maybe that's why I hang out with Tegan.
Or maybe she doesn't leave when I tell her to.
That's a bit more likely.
---
The camp was buzzing with gossip about Luke Castellan, Tegan Acton, and Ethan Nakamura's sudden disappearances. The Aphrodite girls insisted they heard first hand from Tegan that she was eloping with Luke and Ethan was going to marry them, but most of the Ares children believed that Ethan had killed both of them and then fled to New Mexico and killed himself.
I am proud to say I helped initiate that rumor.
But it wasn't petty rumors I was really worried about, and it wasn't petty rumors that would help me if Zeus came and smote me with a lightning bolt. I highly doubted the King of the Gods would listen to the Aphrodite girls gossip once he's gotten concrete evidence from a traitor that I, too, want Zeus dead.
Of course, if Luke hasn't been caught my Zeus and hasn't given him my name then it'll be impossible for Zeus to strike me down with a lightning bolt, anyway. Or, at least, he could strike me down with one of the mini-lightning bolts that would still kill me dead but it wouldn't be as dramatic as if he used the master bolt.
... Oh, I'm so dead.
I lay on top of my scratchy red blanket in the Ares cabin once again, swinging my arm back and forth over the edge of the bed as I scanned the pages of my book, not really absorbing anything I was reading. It was a fairly boring book, and it was probably meant to appeal to little feminist tomboys that really just wanted a peni-
Wait, no. That's me. Maybe little feminist tomboys that are *smart* and want a... manhood.
I just think that life would be a whole lot simpler if I was a boy- okay, we'll get to that later. Annabeth says that if I keep telling people I want to be a boy they'll think I'm weird, but that's only because Annabeth is supposed to be all wise and talented yet beautiful at the same time.
I just don't see it. I don't.
... Plus, she's an Athena kid. And everyone knows Athena is the absolute of the Olympians. She's a know-it-all that turned a poor mortal into a spider just for a little ego... and she's my father's enemy. That's just unforgivable. I love my daddy!
The door to the cabin swung open, banging against the wall as our beloved counselor strode into the cabin in a typical fit of rage. Her brown hair, so similar to my own except scratchier and unkempt, was pulled back into a ponytail and the orange Camp Half-Blood uniform was obvious a size too big, even for her muscular body. I have no problems with girls having freaky muscles, even though they're usually on steroids. I think it's pretty cool looking, I only have lean muscle but if they were giant I would have no arguments.
"Clarisse! My darling sister! How are you on this fine day?" I chirped cheerfully from my bunk, glancing up from my book for a split second to flash her a grin. Clarisse had live with me long enough to realize I was usually putting on a show when I acted fun and innocent, but it wasn't hard to annoy the daughter of Ares. I had never tried to not annoy her, but I had a feeling it would be harder.
She sneered up at me, "Chase got the Hermes cabin for Capture the Flag."
I pouted, "Annabeth? Doesn't the Hermes cabin always side with Athena?"
Clarisse frowned and rolled her eyes at me, as seemed to be the popular thing to do lately. "Luke never chose one side for long. The boy is a born traitor."
I blanched, "W-What?"
Clarisse quirked an eyebrow at me. "He always switched sides, remember? Like that time he just stole the flag back from Chase right after she got it?" She grinned slightly, "But now Luke left camp and I doubt Travis and Connor would make good traitors."
I shook my head quickly, trying to dispel Clarisse's perfect description of Luke. "Well, Ethan and Tegan are gone, too. They wouldn't be a useful ally."
"Why do you think Luke did leave? He totally screwed up the highlight of my week. I mean, The Stoll Brothers are pranksters but I doubt they're disloyal."
"I don't know, they don't seem like they'd stay in one place for long. They like change." I focused on Clarisse's offhand comment, trying to avoid answering her questions about Luke. I had fake theories, of course, but none of which I really wanted to share for risk of making Luke look bad.
Clarisse grunted. "So, why'd the stupid Stupid leave? He probably went off for a quest of his own, didn't he? Again? Just because he screwed up so badly last time." She snorted, "You were friends with him, right? Have you heard anything."
My eyes widened, Clarisse was an idiot but she always had a knack for understanding things even if she didn't believe her conclusions. I knew that if I made a minor slip-up she'd understand the truth. And she might be a lethal daughter of Ares but Clarisse didn't make things up just to spike a fight unless she specifically hated someone. And she'd always liked Luke, everyone liked Luke.
So instead I raised my palm for a high five. "Oh, my Gods! You say "stupid Stupid", too? Nice!" As our hands connected the book, Nobody's Princess, tumbled off my bunk to land at Clarisse's feet.
She blinked at me. "You can read? Don't you have dyslexia, Cyn?"
I shook my head. "Um, no, I don't know what happened but my brain's not hardwired for Ancient Greek. I guess I got that from mom's side."
"Why would you read, anyway?" Clarisse crouched down to retrieve the book from the ground, eyeing is warily despite the fact that I knew she couldn't understand what it said. "It looks like crap? You sure you want it back?" Clarisse grinned mischievously at me.
I scoffed. I knew where this was going, it happened almost everyday in the Ares cabin. I crouched in an animal-like position and sprang at Clarisse, "GIVE ME THE BOOK! ROOAARRR!" I wasn't really sure if the roar was necessary, but I felt it helped.
We scuffled on the floor for a few minutes until Clarisse started using the hard-cover book as a weapon, "NO. NO. CLARISSE. YOU ARE GIVING ME BRAIN DAMAGE! THIS IS A VERY REAL CONCER- OW. THAT HURTS YOU STUPID STUPID!"
The door swung open once again as Nobody's Princess connected with my jaw and I could just barely make out Coach sneakers at eye level. "This is making me gay," A distinctly feminine voice spoke from above me. Clarisse stopped brandishing my book and let it drop to the rough floor of the cabin with a clatter. I pulled myself up into a sitting position painfully (I spent all day in the arena and my sister was still better than me. So unfair, man. So unfair) and scanned the Juicy jeans that were obviously made for a woman, black and silver Billabong shirt and Cartier watch.
My lip curled up. This was what happened when Aphrodite tried to make a baby boy, it never ended well for the poor child. Joseph Jordan was a perfectly gorgeous girl, but you had to add the fact that he was a boy into the equation. And that just made it gross and kind of weird. He was prettier than most of the girls in his cabin, but no one viewed it as a good thing. "I don't really think you can make someone gay if they're already gay..."
"I didn't think two girls fighting could be a turn-off, Cyn. But... now I know." He was a horny Horny, but I was friends with him nonetheless. Mainly because he used to pay me to be his bodyguard, but it was obvious the poor boy needed some muscle to protect him from... everyone at camp other than his sisters. Joe just had a knack for pissing people off, despite his passive aggressive nature. I had only seen Joe really mad once, but surprisingly, it hadn't be as hilariously pathetic as one might think.
Joe had always been best friends with a brother of mine, Julian, who had been a typical Ares kid, but unlike most of us he could put up with people. It wasn't like there was anything going on between them, they just got along well. Then another one of my damn brothers called Julian a... very bad word for gays just because he hung out with Joe. Julian was perfectly capable of kicking his brother's ass without Joe's help, but that word had definitely struck one of Joe's nerves.
Joe left the experience with a cut on his knuckle, and Corwin left with less teeth than he had before Joe got to him. It was pretty traumatizing for any Ares child, getting beaten up by a metrosexual son of Aphrodite. But Joe, despite being the Aphrodite poster boy, was surprisingly different than his bubbleheaded sisters like Silena.
"Everything I do is a turn-off, Joe." I winked obnoxiously at the son of Aphrodite before getting consumed by laughter, "May I ask-" I paused in an attempt to gain control of my laughter. "May I ask why you're here, Joe? Aren't your sisters doing makeovers today?"
Joe looked taken aback. "No, that's Makeup Monday. Isn't Scandal Sunday today, Cyn."
I let out a high-pitched, doubting laugh. "Scandal Sunday?"
Joe rolled his eyes. "Silena named it."
"So, what happens on Scandal Sunday?"
Joe grinned. "That's when the Girly Army tries to get gossip out of the nymphs and satyrs about what's going on outside the camp."
"And?" I raised an eyebrow, the satyrs always had good things to say. Sometimes it was about saving the planet, but usually it was about new arrivals at camp and Ares children had to know about their opponents before they arrived. However, the nymphs did not offer such amazing gossip choices.
"Grover thinks he found one."
"Grover... isn't he the one that screwed up with Thalia, Luke, and Chase?" Clarisse piped up, after getting over the shock of Joe's overly feminine appearance.
I smirked, "Try to be a little considerate, Clarisse. Two out of three live-"
"Your both horrible people," Joe interrupted.
"Ooh. Backbone." Clarisse raised an eyebrow challengingly at the son of Aphrodite, but Joe appeared unfazed. Or he didn't realize she was trying to intimidate him. Yeah, it was probably the second.
I rolled my eyes at Joe's ignorant obliviousness, just going with the new eyebrow-raising-and-eye-rolling fad that was working its way around camp. "And what's so important about this new kid?"
Joe shrugged, "Silena said the satyrs couldn't - or wouldn't - say anything more. Which means it's either really important or really foggy."
Clarisse sat bolt upright. "You don't think he found another child of the Big Three, do you?"
Once again, Clarisse showed her natural gift for making perfect predictions. But I didn't realize it at the time. "No way. They wouldn't live to make it to camp. And that's so not what we need. I'm already like, the tenth best fighter at camp. I am not being knocked down to eleventh."
"Selfless as always, Cyn." Joe tipped the brim of his fedora to me and spun around, "Anyway, I must go tell the Apollo cabin. I'm pretty sure that girl with the gigantic bre- Anyway. Bye." The blonde disappeared out the door after granting me a cocky grin.
Clarisse and I stared at each other silently for a minute before I broke the silence.
"Was he always wearing that hat?"
A/N: Damn. I really make it sound like there'll be CynLuke, don't I?
There won't be. I'm not going to screw up canon really at all with this. I've already planned out what scenes Cyn'll be in and how to keep them almost exactly as they are. So, you know, yeah. I don't like it when OCs take over.
There will be something happening with CynLuke once I work it out, but there will not be a real pairing and there will not be one-sided.
SO. ANYWAY. DROP ME A REVIEW AND I'LL TRY TO MAKE THIS GOOD! :O
... Maybe.