Shadowgirl

2

"Wow." Elinor blinked. "That. . .is a lot of bronze."

"Yep. Celestial Bronze is the only thing that can kill monsters." Lucas crossed to the other side of the room, where an array of swords, bows and daggers were hanging. "What do you use? Bow, sword or dagger?"

"I have no idea. The last time I touched something even remotely resembling a weapon was when I played one of the Lost Boys in the school play about three years ago."

"Mm. Try this."

He handed her a sword about half her size, and she very nearly dropped it on her foot.

"Maybe not."

This time it was a dagger with an absurdly thick hilt she could barely wrap her fingers around.

"Uh, yeah, no."

And so it went on, trying sword after dagger after sword, until they were interrupted by an older boy poking his head through the door. "Hey, Lucas. Who's the new kid?"

"Elinor. Elinor, this is Travis Stoll, head counsellor of Cabin Eleven."

She blinked. "You're a son of Hermes, and your name is 'Stoll'?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Um. . .nothing. Never mind."

"Don't use that sword."

"Why?"

"Belonged to a son of Ares who turned."

"What do you mean?"

"He joined the Titans, against us."

"Why'd he do that?"

"'Cause Ares kids are fucking maniacs."

"Oh! That reminds me—" Lucas turned to her. "Where did you learn how to swear?"

She smiled. "Let's just say my parents weren't overly concerned with censoring TV programmes."

"Huh."

"Catch you later." Travis disappeared.

"And onto the bows!"

Lucas really was weirdly cheerful about—well, about everything. Including giving a deadly weapon to a ten-year-old child. She nearly shot him three times.

It was time for dinner.

Elinor still hadn't found a weapon. The only dagger that had actually fit into her hand had turned out to be Katoptris, the dagger of Helen of Troy, and Elinor had been adamant on the point that she would not use a dagger previously owned by that stuck-up bitch, something that had delighted Lucas to no end.

"Cabin Eleven, fall in!" a boy who looked very similar to Travis, but slightly shorter, shouted at Elinor's new cabinmates and/or half-siblings, depending on her godly parent. She'd met a few of them when Lucas had shown her her spot on the floor of Cabin Eleven.

At first, she'd been appalled that she had to sleep on the floor, but then he'd shown her some other spaces where she could sleep, and she'd decided that her original spot was really rather good, thanks ever so. Especially after his sister Maria stole a sleeping bag from the gift shop, which was very nice of her, considering Elinor's mouth had been washed out several times by some of the older girls at her school in England.

The Hermes table was by far the most crowded table on the pavilion. There were twelve tables, one for each Olympian, but Hermes was patron to all children of minor gods and unclaimed campers. Three tables were completely empty, and another had only one camper; Lucas informed her that they were the tables of Artemis, Zeus, Hera and Poseidon respectively.