Before Ariadne

"Bye." Annabeth said out of eyesight.

That was an hour ago. I was trying to figure out why she was uncomfortable talking about that. After a while I didn't care. I was just board. I kept thinking someone was going to walk into the room, but nobody did. I started to think if they forgot about me and what time it was. So I looked out the window and saw why no one was coming in the room, it was dark. I was starting to get tired myself, and I didn't want to spend another night in a place with injured, sick, or dying people. So I got out of bed and walked down to the cabins. On the way I saw no one walking around, no one sitting down, and really, no one at all.

When I got to the cabins I didn't know what cabin to go to. I sat down on the grass and wondered if I was welcomed in Zeus's cabin, because a few nights ago a Thalia said was 'Goodnight' and walked off. After a little I went to Hermes cabin because that was where my stuff was.

Apparently it was later then I thought it was, because when I walked in everyone was asleep. Except for some people that were on their phones doing who-knows-what, talking, texting, playing games, or something. When they heard me almost fall they looked at me, some of them waved, others did nothing but turn back around like they'd never seen me walk in. I walked over to my stuff to see that someone already packed it up. I took no time to ask who done it, instead I grabbed it and walked off.

As I walked over to Zeus cabin I looked around and saw Ares cabin, Athena cabin, and Dionysus cabin. Ares cabin was unprofessionally painted red and had a large boar's head over the door with barbed wire on the roof. 'Yiks, I would have a short temper to if I had to live in a place like that.' I thought.

Athena cabin was a gray building with silver curtains and a design of an owl over the door. 'So, that's where Ariadne lives for the summer. Not to bad.' And I wondered if this was only a summer camp. If you could only stay here in the summer. What if you didn't have another place to go to? Could you stay here all year?

Dionysus cabin was a bit simpler then the others, it had its roof and walls lined with grape vines. 'How boring.' I thought, 'Oh well. I guess it's not that bad.'

As I approached Zeus cabin I saw and remembered the holographic lightning bolts. When I got to the doors I lightly rubbed them against the bolts. 'I created one of those…and killed some harpies doing it.' I started thinking about before I ever met Ariadne, how simple it was. 'It' being life. 'I use to be the 'goth weirdo'. Now look at me.' I saw my reflection a little in the wall.

A sad face was looking back at me in the reflection. My white stripes in my hair were almost gone completely, I had, what almost looked like burn marks, around my neck from my necklace. It was metal, metal mixed with lightning makes metal very hot. I had bags under my eyes from…I don't know what; I'd been getting a lot of sleep from what I can tell.

I sighed deeply as I was about to walk into a new life. But Thalia was still awake and heard me. I felt I should walk in anyway, but she opened the door before I could. "James? What are you doing out of bed?"

"Nice to see you to." I said 'happy' to hear her say 'hi'.

She looked at me worried and said, "Since you're already here, come inside."

She didn't move, so I went through the other door.

After I set up all my stuff, put my bags under my chosen bed, brushed my teeth, put on my pajamas, I laid down. Eventually, Thalia asked, "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" I set myself up on my elbows and looked at her. She was on her side looking straight at me.

"You look sad. What's wrong?" She repeated.

I took a deep breath and sighed, "Just remembering back before I ever met Ariadne. Before I was a demigod." I laughed at myself, "Before I was one of the big threes kids. Before I was Zeus's kid." I frowned.

"I know what you mean. My mom was always drunk and acted like a spoiled kid, but at least then I wasn't constantly being hunted by monsters." She said sadly.

"I haven't even left half blood hill, and I know I will die on my own." I didn't know what else to say.

"Do you ever want to go back to those days?"

I laughed when she said that. "'Those days?' Those days weren't even a week ago."

"You didn't answer my question." She said.

"Oh, ya. Hmmm…I guess. I was called the 'goth weirdo', but I think I would rather be-"

"Why were you called that?"

I looked at her questioningly. That question made me think back to the name-calling and the bullying, which didn't really bother me. "Because of how I looked. Before I moved to New York it was just name-calling, but after a while people started, jokingly, asking for a razor. That still didn't bother me. But I guess just like all other jokes, the repetitiveness of them got to me." Thinking about it made me madder and madder. "Over and over and over. They never stopped. Soon it got to where I got in arguments and fights."

I started remembering the fights. I only got in fights from speaking my mind, but sometimes I was brought into them. They were only broken up by the cops, the principal, friends, or teachers. None of my friends ever helped. My mom first noticed I was fighting when I came home with a black eye. Later it got worse. Bruises on my body, legs, arms, even my back. Medical tape wrapped around my hands, mainly my knuckles. Bloody noses, scratched legs and arms, cuts on my face too. One day, I came home with a limp and my mom decided it was time for home school.

"Is that why you moved here?" She asked and I was brought back to reality.

My eyes fell into a sad look. I continued, "I got into arguments for speaking my mind, what people tell you to do. I did it with teachers, got suspended, and got ISS, once I even got into rehab for it. I got in to fights…" I gulped and breathed for a little. "I got into fights with my own friends. I lost every friend because of the rumors." I wanted to say more but I couldn't.

"…that's their fault. You're a great guy and I will always be your friend. No matter what happens."

I looked back at her and after a while said, "You're the best sister I'll ever get, and I wouldn't trade that for anything."

She smiled faintly and said, "You're the best brother I've had in a long time, and I wouldn't trade that for anything either."

After that we went to sleep happily.

This chapter went through a few names. First it was 'Hospital visits 2', second was 'Rough night' and was not what it sounded like. Third was 'Nightly walk' but I thought about 'Before Ariadne' so that you could get to know James more.