Hyacinths and Halcyons

ChApTeR tEn - Are Flowers Supposed to Smell Like Dog Breath...? (Kora POV)

I feel my legs give out from underneath me as that boy, Nico, I think, grabs me by my shoulders and shifts his weight to support me. I groan again, Will's sweet songs seeping out of me, taking the warmth it brought with it. He helps me sit down on the stairs of the pavilion, as campers of all shapes and sizes trickle out of their cabins to see the commotion.

Their hushed whispers start piercing my mind, adding to the mix of voices that still pounded in my head, but subdued, like dull knives.

'Did you see that...'

'Set me free, Kora'

'She's a monster.'

I whimper and curl up into my frame, trying to avoid the scrutiny and glares facing my way.

Almost dying wasn't enough, was it?

That Boy, (it honestly sounded better than Nico) stares at me for some time, frowning slightly as he takes in my features. Gingerly, I look up, awaiting more judgement but all I see in his eyes is pain. Just like mine. He understood. We hear the clip clop of hooves against the grass, but we ignore it, knowing it's Chiron. All the stares go away as they watch Chiron study the fissure I opened as That Boy looks at me, straight in the eyes.

"How... how did you open it...?" He whispers, barely audible, but I heard him.

I shrug, all inertia leaving my body, and I look up at him warily. "You wouldn't believe me."

That Boy smirks at that. "Try me."

Something about him makes me trust him. "I hear... voices in my head." I murmur. "And suddenly, it became too much. Next thing I know, I'm falling. And then Sophie," I motioned to the girl, who was getting lectured by another girl, who looked just like her but with curly blond hair. "She caught me before I fell."

That Boy frowns, mulling over my words. "Voices...? That's unheard of."

I nod, accepting the fact that I was an outcast among outcasts. I stare at my hands, trying to see what made them so special that they could cause tremors in the earth. But then, something happened.

A red rose, the color of blood, sprouts out of my flesh, the saplings penetrating my skin as it grew, but I didn't feel any pain, nor did I see any blood. But just seeing my own skin split in front of my eyes made me sick. It grew as if in a time lapse, growing and growing until its soft petals tickled my nose. I analyze each petal, tracing the veins, and feeling the ridges under my fingertips. But it didn't smell like flowers. It smelled like... like death.

That Boy stared in shock, not knowing what to say, until his eyes trailed up to the top of my head and he paled, his olive skin turning ghostly white.

"Kora..." he whispers, but nothing comes next.

And suddenly everyone's eyes are on me and there's silence.

My heart pounds as confusion and uncertainty swirl inside of me and Chiron speaks up.

THUMP.

"Campers..." he says, not meeting my eyes.

THUMP.

"All hail Kora Tartura." At the sound of my name, everyone kneels in my direction, but not out of awe. Out of fear. Even That Boy bows his head. Even Sophie Who Hates Me. Even Delia.

THUMP.

"Daughter of Hades, the god of the Underworld."

THUMP.

And then, it clicked. Two lines, from two completely different things.

'Your godly parent will be revealed soon, but you are gifted. Remember to keep an open mind.'

'When life meets death, you must try to follow the pretty bird across the sky.'

I know who the voice was.