Tales From The Camp Half-Blood Infirmary

Julia the Obsessive Swimmer

I should start with Julia. She's the eight-year-old daughter of Hestia and loves swimming. Unfortunately, she has ear issues that make it difficult to stay healthy while swimming and has had two surgeries to date.

I should also explain that Hestia does have children, but not from her. She adopts children who are in need of care, but only the ones that catch her eye. Julia was orphaned in a fire and had been eating from garbage cans and singing for a living (she sang so badly people paid her to stop) before Hestia brought her to camp.

Anyways, Julia was dressed in her usual (jeans and a sweater), fire flickering in her dark hair and sniffling as she entered the infirmary.

"Oh, no." I ran to her. "Julia, please tell me you didn't go swimming in the lake again. You can swim all you want during the summer when your earplugs arrive."

Julia coughed. "I didn't do it on purpose. I was just walking past the lake when I had an urge to dip my feet in the water. Soon it was my legs, then my arms, and before I knew it, I was swimming laps. I can't help it." She looked up to me, the fire in her curls dying. "I have an earache and my head hurts."

I uttered a curse that would not have been appropriate for the ears of a child like Julia, but it was that particular child who had taught it to me. "When Percy comes to camp, I'll ask him to pull the water out of your ears. Until then, all you can do is rest. And no more swimming."

Julia hugged me. Her forehead was warm. "But I want to."

"Julia, if you don't have the patience to wait a few months for your ears to get sorted out, there's very little I can do," I chided. "I know you want to swim at the Olympics, but harming yourself just for a few months of practice isn't the way to go."

I felt her nod against my shirt. I scooped her up and tucked her into bed. "Don't worry. We'll fix this."

One quirk about swimmers: they will sleep anywhere and everywhere. Julia was already asleep when I brought her a cup of milk.