Chapter 14. Vanessa: My Sleeve Is Stained Red

A quest.

A quest is a mission taken by a demigod. These are, aside from the wintertime or the school year, the only time campers are allowed to leave Camp. The person leading the quest is allowed to bring two companions along with them, if they wish. Usually, the person chosen for the quest will be taken to the Oracle but this time around the Oracle had come to us apparently.

Nico had explained all this as we walked to dinner. I listened carefully, trying to absorb the wonderful atmosphere of Camp at the same time. I couldn't believe it. I had barely been here two days and they are already sending me away. All these thoughts reeled through me as Chiron droned on and on about the quest. The only upside was that we won't be leaving right away. Chiron said Alva and I were to train for a while first. Nico had protested vehemently but Chiron absolutely refused to let us go. They had a vicious argument over someone named Percy but Chiron won in the end.

The sun was just setting over the horizon. I could see it sink bit by bit over the edge of the world. The best part of Camp was that I could see the sea from almost everywhere. We were walking uphill towards the Pavilion. As we went higher, I could see more and more of the water. The yellow glow of the setting sun washed over it, turning the sea the color of canvas. It was calm except for the occasional wave that rippled through the water like a dark snake. Above it, colors played in the sky, making it seem almost alive as the sun's glow turned it pink, yellow, orange and red. Shadows writhed around me, throwing an aura of mystery over camp.

I sighed, feeling almost dizzy. Camp was a paradise; there was no doubt about that.

I walked on quietly to the Dining Pavilion, turning over all sorts of questions in my mind. Who is this Percy? Will these campers accept me? Will I ever be claimed? Who am I really? Will I find out through this quest? Will I even survive this quest?

Thinking about the quest reminded me of my strange... powers. There was no other word for it really. I remembered how I had deliberately hidden these powers from Chiron. Guilt surged through me. I respected Chiron immensely. It was impossible not to, I thought, eyeing him warily. He towered over us with his lean, powerful body and radiated superiority. And yet I was lying to him.

My eyes found Nico's and I stared into their dark depths for a moment then glanced away, blushing madly. I could still sense Nico's gaze on me though. His endless gaze was so intense that I could almost feel it scorching my skin. Can I trust him? If I show him my powers, will he betray me?

My eyes traveled over to Alva. She was the real reason why I was hiding my powers. She didn't reveal her parentage and I knew she didn't trust anyone here further than she could throw them. Probably even less than that. And yet...

There was a boy, Connor, walking beside Alva. He had been talking, chattering really, to her since we left the Big House. I was astounded that Alva actually bothered to acknowledge his existence, much less talk to him. I watched the boy carefully; there was something about the way he was looking at Alva that suggested something else completely. I grinned suddenly. Alva was going to get a pleasant surprise sometime soon.

I looked away from the pair of them and found the blatant, hard, grey-eyed glare of yet another member of our motley crew. Annabeth. Alva and she had many similarities. They both made me feel like running away screaming at times. I remembered our first meeting. Remembered it vividly.

"Nico, Nico, are you alright?" I stepped forward, catching him. I groaned, barely holding on to his weight. Alva and Connor stepped forward and helped me support him. I looked at Chiron worriedly. "What's wrong with him? What happened?" My voice shot up several octaves. Alva shot me a contemptuous look, her hair a pale, almost white blond.

A sardonic voice answered me. "Looks like he fainted." Annabeth had appeared out of nowhere, a cap in her hands. I had jumped violently and Nico slipped out of my grasp. Thankfully, Alva and Connor had a good hold of him. I heard Chiron instruct them to carry him to a couch in his office but I was too busy staring at Annabeth to listen. She had long blond hair that fell in perfect curls but what I noticed most about her were her eyes. She was staring at me with those grey orbs like she wanted to snatch me up and analyze every follicle of my being. Then, Alva thumped my arm and raised an eyebrow. A silent question. I had shaken my head and followed them to the office.

I volunteered to stay with Nico and Annabeth joined me. She had not spoken a word to me after her initial sarcastic comment. Alva had left me, saying that she had had enough of the "Death Boy's" crap. Her intense dislike of Nico bothered me but I knew she wouldn't tell me anything if she didn't want to. Annabeth's gaze had followed Alva and Connor all the way out of the room but Alva didn't seem to care , or notice for that matter.

I had turned to Annabeth and braced myself for many pathetic attempts at conversation. Her gaze never left me as we looked at each other silently. I combed my mind, desperate for something to say. Annabeth just stared at me. Finally I gave up and started right back at her. This seemed to please her somehow. Her grim mood lifted a little. Then, her stormy eyes never leaving mine, she asked the one question I dreaded the most.

"Who are you?" I looked her dead in the eye and answered.

"I don't know."

Now, I shifted uneasily under Annabeth's gaze. Joining the quest had done nothing to get me into Annabeth's good side and I knew instinctively that she wasn't one to mess with. Something told me that once she found a weakness, she'll dig into it and tear you down viciously. I shuddered.

"You okay?" Nico's voice startled me, preoccupied as I was with my thoughts. I looked up to meet his dark eyes and flushed. I cursed my traitorous skin.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine." My eyes dropped to his neck. The red marks had faded away. "How 'bout you?"

Nico just smiled and didn't answer the question. His face really transformed when he smiled. Normally, his eyes were dark and hostile, his mouth drawn into a hard line. But his smile softened his features incredibly. It made him more vulnerable... accessible somehow.

"Brace yourself," he said suddenly. I wrenched my gaze away from his face and looked around.

We had arrived.

The Dining Pavilion was filled with the chaos of hundreds of different voices talking at once. Some of them were laughing, some were nursing scary-looking wounds and others were busy gorging themselves. Willowy nymphs walked around serving food. My stomach growled loudly. I looked around awed. The Pavilion was right on the top of a hill, which was partially why it took us so long to get here. I could see miles and miles out to the sea as there were no walls at all. I think I liked it better that way.

I looked up at the clear sky, now a dark velvety blue. Stars were slowly appearing and they shone like bright little neon lights in the sky. Nico had explained that it doesn't rain here unless they wanted it too. I thought that was insanely cool too. For a second, I remembered all the questions that had hounded me the whole way here. To hell with them, I decided. I'd think about them later. Now, there was food to be had. I feasted my eyes on the row after row of white and purple covered tables. Some were filled with demigods while others only had two or three. There were only a few empty tables.

As we entered, a sudden hush fell over the area. Then, the murmuring started again but this time I could feel all their gazes on us. I imagined a spotlight trained on us and gulped. I smoothed out my clothes and tugged at my hair, nervous and ready to hurl. I had already donned the customary orange T-shirt so I didn't really stand out, unlike Alva who was still in the clothes I first saw her in. I saw Rachel and waved at her shyly. She waved back and I felt less like puking.

Nico glared at everyone who dared to stare at me longer than what was necessary. I blushed. Again.

"Stop it," I hissed. Nico looked at me startled. There was a group of campers behind him who seemed to be paying me special attention. They were mostly made up of girls but I noticed a few guys among them. They were staring at me expectantly, like they knew something I didn't. On second thought, they probably did know a lot more than I did. We passed them by completely before I could get a closer look. I shifted uncomfortable, painfully aware of the eyes on my back.

"Stop what?" Nico hissed back. He looked as uncomfortable as I felt. I wondered why. He must be used to this place. Looking around, I noticed quite a few campers looking at him nervously. Sheesh, by the way they were looking at him, you would think that he was a wolf among a pack of jackals or something.

"Sending death glares to everyone." Nico looked at me for a while. Then. His lips tweaked up at the corner. My stomach flopped over.

"So what? It comes in nice packaging doesn't it?" I stared at him, dumbfounded. His grin widened into an all-out cocky smile. Before I could shoot back a witty response, he disappeared. I blinked, surprised.

"Well I never..." I muttered. I turned to Alva who was watching me warily, her hair now an icy blue. The look on her face reminded of the day we first met, like she didn't know whether she could trust me or not. I thought about my own qualms. "What's wrong?" I asked her hesitantly. She just shook her head wordlessly. I noticed campers staring at Alva openly. A wave of annoyance washed over me. Gods, you'd think that they never learned their manners or something.

"Hey ladies, y'all are with me," Connor piped up cheerily. He seemed to be immune to the looks we were getting. He noticed the direction of my gaze and waved dismissively. "Don't bother about them; they'll forget you by tomorrow." He grinned and winked at Alva. I felt like laughing. Alva didn't seem to notice. Her face was cold and blank. Connor's smile faded slightly.

"Um, so, anyway, I'm one of the head counselors of the Hermes cabin. My cabin takes in all unclaimed campers as Dad's the patron of travelers. Before the War, our cabin was filled to the brim but now it's almost empty. So, no worries about accommodations, eh?" He grinned mischievously. We had reached a table, which I presumed to be ours. All the kids at the table looked almost alike. They all had sharp noses and upturned eyebrows. Connor's smile was mirrored all around me. I felt like I had gotten lost and ended up in the North Pole with all of Santa's elves. Santa's naughty, naughty elves.

We sat down and Connor began to introduce everyone to us. I smiled politely and said hi to everyone, trying my best to be friendly and eat at the same time. Alva just nodded blankly, her hair still the same icy blue. I wondered if she could read their thoughts. Maybe that's why she was so ... hostile. Connor seemed to be worried about her, shooting her glances every few seconds. It was really sweet.

I looked at my empty goblet expectantly, suddenly thirsty. Alva looked up then.

"You have to say it out loud," she said suddenly. She sounded sad and weary. I stared at her, not understanding.

"What?"

"The goblet. It'll be filled with whatever drink you want but you have to say it out loud first," she explained. Connor looked at her surprised.

"Hey, how did you know that?" he asked. At that moment, by some unspoken signal, all the kids at the table got up and began making their way toward the fire burning at the end of the pavilion.

"What's going on?" I asked, surprised.

"We have to sacrifice the best portion of our food to the gods. They like the smell of it. Didn't my dear brother tell you that?" A boy spoke up from behind Connor. I blinked, staring at him. He stood beside Connor, grinning. They were exactly alike. I blinked again, staring hard. No, not exactly. The new boy was a little taller. "Travis," he said in answer to my questioning look.

"Are you twins?" I asked, still staring from one brother to the other.

"Nah," he answered. "I'm older."

"And I'm smarter." Connor inserted. They had a mock tussle for a while, playfully shoving one another, but then broke apart laughing. I rolled my eyes, smiling. Boys. It was really incredible how alike they were. "Anyway, Travis, this is Vanessa and this is-"

"Alva, yeah I heard." Travis didn't bother with subtlety. He went straight for the kill. "So what's the dealio with your hair?" Connor looked horrified and I glared at him. He ignored the both of us, eyes fixed on Alva. She looked at him, unperturbed, silver eyes flashing.

"What's the dealio with your face?" Alva answered coldly. On reflex, Travis's hand shot up. Then, he grinned.

"Good one, Rainbow. Anyway, welcome to the Hermes Cabin." With that he walked off to a dark girl with brown eyes. I watched as he snatched up her hand and twirled her around, oblivious to the catcalls from the other campers. They were obviously a couple. The girl laughed and kissed him on the cheek. I tore my eyes away from them, feeling lonely all of a sudden. It was my turn at the brazier. I stepped up and looked at Connor. What now?

"Rainbow?" He was saying indignantly. "Was that the best he can come up with?" I noticed Alva looking at him, amused.

"Connor," I called.

"What?" He seemed a little dazed.

"What do I do?" I gestured at the brazier. Its flames flickered and twirled hypnotically. I wondered how the gods could smell our food. Why would they like the smell of burnt food anyway?

"Oh. Um, just push the food in and say a prayer to the god of your choice." I pushed the food in and paused. I didn't know any gods. Finally, I just closed my eyes and sent a prayer to my godly parent, whoever she or he might be.

Please, I thought fervently. Tell me who I am. I need to know. The wind picked up suddenly and the table cloths in the pavilion flapped wildly. The campers looked around shocked. The smell of the sea pervaded every corner of the camp. I could feel eddies swirling past me, I could sense the darkest depths of the sea. It was like the ocean, the very essence of it was there with us all in the pavilion. My eyes snapped open.

You know who you are, the wind whispered. Its voice was breezy and decidedly feminine. You are part of the sea. You are a part of me.

I stifled a scream; backing away from the fire like it was the plague. I looked around wildly but no one was standing close to me. Alva was the nearest person to me. She looked at me surprised. No one else noticed my moment of insanity however; they were either busy picking up whatever the wind had knocked down or just busy talking. Strange things must happen frequently here. I sighed with relief.

"You okay?" Alva asked, raising an eyebrow. I felt myself turning red.

"Um, there was rat." I pointed to the brazier, praying Camp had rats. "Look there it goes!" Alva just gave me a look and walked up to it. She bother checking for rats, however. Alva pushed her food in with the air of someone carrying out an extremely unpleasant task and walked off into the night.

I turned and sat back down at the table, my heart racing. I needed to tell someone about this. Anyone who could help. Alva knew but she wasn't what you'd call helpful. There was nothing else for it.

I had to tell Nico. I closed my eyes. No one else could help.

"Where's Alva?" Connor's now familiar voice cut through my thoughts.

"She just left," I said. Connor's face fell.

"I've got to show you your cabins!" I got up and started towards the direction I last saw Alva.

"I'll get her and meet you there, okay?" I called over my shoulder.

"But-" I left Connor's protest behind and exited the Pavilion. Night had fallen and the darkness was broken by the twinkling stars. I saw Alva up ahead, silhouetted by the light of the moon. She really did look magical standing there, black hair whipping in the wind.

"Hey." Alva jumped at the sound of my voice and looked around wildly.

"Oh, it's you," she answered. "I thought maybe..." She gestured vaguely at the Pavilion. I grinned.

"You thought I was Connor?" Alva glared at me.

"No." My grinned widened.

"You did!" I laughed delighted. "Admit it!"

"Shut up," she growled. I laughed again.

"C'mon," I said. "We're meeting Connor at the cabin." I watched as her muscles tensed. I stepped closer. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Let's go," she answered curtly.

"Wait." I grabbed her arm. "You sure? You look a little..." I trailed off, searching for the right word. Alva's eyes were bright, as bright as Nico's were dark, and they looked hunted and angry. The light from the moon threw shadows on her face, enhancing her sharp features. "Haunted," I completed.

"I'm fine," she repeated. Seeing the look on my face, she sighed. "I... used to know someone, okay?" She spat each word out. "He used to come here and it's a little hard for me. Okay?" Her eyes flashed angrily. I released her arm.

"Oh," I whispered. That explained everything, from her reluctance to come here to how she knew so much. "Okay. You want to talk about it?" I asked hesitantly.

"No." And I watched helplessly as she vanished into the shadows.

I tend to wear my heart in my sleeve. Alva had told me that my emotions were entirely too readable. I thought that was a good thing. I mean, why would I want to hide anything?

I understood now, why people have secrets. Sometimes the truth hurts you. Sometimes the truth hurts others. Sometimes people don't want to see the truth. And sometimes... the truth was dangerous.

In this case, however, I thought looking around Hermes Cabin, the truth was inevitable.

"This is the scruffiest place I've ever seen," I announced. Connor, who was showing Alva a special room at the back of the cabin, looked hurt.

"Hey! It was worst before!" I rolled my eyes. Jumping up, I took a last look around and walked up to them.

"So where to now?" I asked. Connor grinned. I stepped back slightly. His maniacal grin was more than a little unnerving.

"Sword-fighting practice." Uh-oh, I thought. Bad, very bad. I still had the short sword Alva gave me. I wasn't too bad with it but I was nothing compared with the rest of them.

The Hermes Cabin, Alva and I were on our way to the arena, with Connor leading the way, when we were stopped by the sound of Nico's voice.

"Well, well, well," he said, that cocky grin already in place. "Looks like it's my lucky day. Sword practice with the newbies."

"Shut up," I told him, trying to mimic Alva's chilly tone. Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Be happy. I'm one of the best sword-fighters around. You'd be a pro in no time." I rolled my eyes. Talk about an over-inflated ego. Beside me Alva burst out laughing. Her laugh was cold and completely devoid of humor. I saw Connor watching us warily. Nico looked at Alva, narrowing his eyes. "You've got a problem, freak?" he hissed. I opened my mouth but Alva beat me to a response.

"Yeah," she shot back. "It's about five feet four, emo, and has a swelled head." I heard some of the Hermes kids gasping. Apparently, Nico didn't get insulted very often. I found this surprising. Nico swore and called Alva a bunch of names, none of them complementary. Alva just laughed.

"You think you're so great, freak?" Nico hissed menacingly at Alva.

"No," she answered shortly. "That's your job." Connor's mouth was open, I realized. Everyone else looked stunned and more than a little afraid. We had arrived at the arena.

"You asked for it." Nico pulled out a short sword, as dark as his hair, out of nowhere and charged Alva. She had hers out in an instant and they began battling furiously.

"Okay!" Connor stepped forward and began shooing the other kids off. "Off to practice, now peeps!" He turned to me, as the other kids all paired off. "C'mon. Travis snuck off and I don't have a partner." I followed him to an empty spot and we began fighting.

Connor was good; I had to hand it to him. He moved with a certain grace and it was almost impossible to predict his moves. I managed to hold my own with the techniques Alva thought me but he soon slipped past my guard. The sword clattered out of my hands. I groaned and picked it up, blinking the sweat out of my eyes.

"Not bad." Annabeth appeared out of nowhere. I jumped. "But remember," she said critically, stepping forward and placing a hard hand on my arms. "You've got a short sword, so you need to get in close. And when his sword meets your hilt-"she demonstrated, holding out my sword and looking at Connor expectantly. He immediately placed his sword in the indicated position. "- you bend it like this." She twisted the sword and Connor's sword clattered onto the floor. Then, she gestured for me to try. After a few tries, I got it. I smiled triumphantly.

"Don't celebrate yet." Annabeth went on in that same censorious voice. "You're not focused enough while fighting." I winced. This was true. While Connor was fighting me with everything he had, my mind was wandering and I was acutely aware of all the other campers. Annabeth's next words were cut short when Alva's sword whizzed past her and hit the ground with a loud 'thud'. Alva strode past us to pick it up.

"Again," she hissed. I followed her gaze to a proud-looking Nico who immediately obliged.

Their swords met in a clash of sparks. Alva moved like a tigress. Her choppy hair, now bright red, whipping against her face, slick with sweat. She gave Nico everything she had with a single minded determination. Her lean arms lifted the sword above her head and brought down on Nico, who lifted up his own to meet it. I stared at him, awed. He had taken of the strange jacket he had been wearing. I watched as his muscled strained against Alva's sword. I felt a little dizzy.

"Wow," I whispered. Connor, standing beside me, agreed albeit for an entirely different reason.

"Wow, indeed." We both exchanged glances then I went back to watching Nico. "Should I break them up?" I didn't look away from Nico. They exchanged another flurry of blows.

"No," I replied. "Definitely not."

"You might have a chance at the quest after all." Annabeth said, from my other side. She looked reluctantly impressed. "And Capture the Flag tomorrow is definitely going to be interesting."

"Capture The Flag?" I asked, as Nico ducked a strike from Alva and attempted to sweep her legs out from underneath her.

"We play it every Friday," Connor said, as Alva twirled and slashed Nico's chest. He brought down his sword to block her and the force of the collision knocked Nico's sword out of his hands. It came hurling in my direction and I caught it neatly, more than a little shocked.

Alva held her silver sword at Nico's throat for the second time in so many days. He glared at her murderously. They were both breathing hard, sweat rolling down their face and arms in rivers.

"Looks like they were wrong about you two." Annabeth told me. I glanced at her and to my surprise, she was smiling. "She-"Annabeth gestured at Alva. "Is no freak. And you-"Her cynical grey eyes met mine. "Are no child of Aphrodite."

Review, please! Oh and check out Emmarina's incredible story, Octo Eaves and The Sun's New Moon. Guaranteed to be awesome!