☾ The Child of Artemis ☾

11. MY HEAD ACHES BECAUSE OF HEADACHES AND INJURIES!!!

          G'day. I'm back. Faith did a great job at substitute narrating. I rested in my room until dinner time. My head was okay by then. I stayed at my table this time, since I was pretty tired. I was glad that it was Sunday because if it was Monday, I'd have to go to the Volleyball League. Hunter snuck over to my table. "Nico," he whispered.

          I ignored him. "Nico," he whispered again. "I'm sorry for believing Nigel's lie. Where were you the past few days?"

          Finishing my food, I put my dishes away and went back to my cabin. Only then, did I have a headache. "Cheers," I said to myself sarcastically. "Good on me." I took a nap, but was interrupted within five minutes. "What?" I groaned.

          A note slid under my door. I wanted to ignore it really badly, but instead my curiosity got the best of me. Dear Nico, the note said in the fanciest cursive you could imagine. I knew who the note was from the second I saw the handwriting. I am exceptionally sorry for accusing you of throwing a rock at Nigel. I hope you will forgive me soon. Where have you been the past few days? I was worried. Your brother, Hunter.

          I knew it. I knew the note was from Hunter, the intelligent son of Athena who writes with the fanciest cursive in the universe. I was still mad at him, so I continued my nap. I didn't sleep tight. My dreams bit me worse than bed bugs could ever bite.

          My father was reasoning and apologizing to a woman with raven black hair and silvery - gray eyes. She looked pulchritudinous, yet powerful. The woman looked a bit like me in a way. We had the same hair color and look in our eyes when we got angry. "Nothing you say will ever make up for what you did!" she shouted. "Zeus promised me eternal maidenhood and you took it away!"

          "I didn't know what I was doing!" my father begged. "I am so sorry! If there was a better word for sorry, I would've said it many times by now."

          There in fact was a better phrase, not word, for "sorry." I sincerely apologize was the phrase. "No excuses," the woman snapped, "It's too late to turn back. I already bore a child."

          "Where is the child?" my father begged. "Please tell me the child is safe."

          "Dead," the woman said, "I... got rid of him."

          "No..." my father mourned.

          "I promise you'll see him again. In the Underworld!"

          The woman blasted my father and he either disappeared or exploded. I wanted to yell, "Don't treat my father like that!!!"

          But alas, my mouth stayed shut.

          Uncle Apollo stood his ground and scolded, "Sis, you can't just blast innocent people into ashes!"

           The woman, I realized, was my mum, Artemis. "Nicholas McAngelico was not innocent!"

          "Your child was! His father was too! Aphrodite made him go crazy!"

          "APHRODITE!!!" Mum thundered.

          War surrounded the room and a lot of innocent gods and goddesses were injured. The world was chaotic as well. Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, earthquakes, and many other lethal natural disasters were happening just around the corner. The world became a terrible nightmare.

          I woke up in time for the campfire sing along. This time I was happy about hearing gobbledegook songs. They were better than my nightmares. I still had a headache, so I groaned nonstop during the singalong. Some campers next to me paused to ask if I was okay, including Will. Every time, I replied, "Yeah, but this singalong is rotting my brain."

          The singalong was over, and I made the loudest groan out of all the groans I made that night and went to bed. The morning was better and I didn't have a headache. I went to brekkie and Hunter snuck over to my table again. "Did you get my apology note?" he asked.

          "Yes," I replied, rolling my eyes. "You said Nico, I'm sorry for my accusations. The end."

           "Are you still upset?"

          "Yes! You called me a bad brother! You said that I was not a good big brother, so you had to be one for Nigel!"

           "Nico, you are not mature."

           "I am plenty mature!"

          "I'm only a month younger than you. It doesn't really make a difference."

           "Go back to your table or else I'm telling Chiron you snuck to my table at brekkie."

          "Nico, your Aussie accent is funny."

          "Go, already!"

          He slumped, walking back to his table, and I decided to spy on him. "My apologies weren't accepted," Hunter said sadly.

          "Your apologies weren't accepted yet. Nico will forgive you when he wants to." Annabeth replied.

          Malcolm joined the conversation, "You know, I heard you make excuses for calling him a bad brother and you called his accent funny. If I were him, I'd be even more angry."

          "I'd be offended," Annabeth put in her opinion. "Nico's not from here. He's from all the way west across the Pacific."

          Malcolm asked, "Isn't he a Pacific Islander, specifically New Caledonian?"

          "Yes," Hunter replied.

          "Isn't New Caledonia French territory?" Malcolm questioned.

           "It's still near Australia," Annabeth explained. "It would be zero point (say there are one hundred zeros between) one percent logical for a New Caledonian to have an Aussie accent. Even if the chance is extremely low, there still is a greater than zero percent chance."

          "Oh," Malcom realized.

          Annabeth said, "Imagine you had to travel to Australia to go to Camp Half - Blood. Everyone sounds the same and has the same dialect — except you. How would you like that?"

          Hunter stayed silent. He was probably imagining. "I would feel ... left out."

           "Bingo," Annabeth replied. "Don't you think Nico's feeling left out? You are making it harder for him."

          "Nigel is too! Nigel made up false accusations to get Nico in trouble! Doesn't Nico already have one friend, that daughter of Poseidon?!"

          Annabeth sighed. "Hunter, your brother had to travel miles, kilometers for him, east all the way to Manhattan. He doesn't know American customs yet, you and Nigel are both making him feel unwelcome, and he's the son of Artemis, a maiden goddess! Maidens aren't supposed to have children, but Artemis had one anyway. Nico may have a friend, and that's great, but he most likely feels unwelcome and wants to go back home."

          After that long lecture Annabeth gave my inconsiderate brother, I thought about sincerely thanking her once brekkie was over. I had already finished my food. My brother hung his head in shame. All I must say is good on ya, Hunter, for learning a thing or two about considering others feelings. Also good on Annabeth for lecturing my careless brother. Once brekkie was over, I shot Annabeth a grateful look. "Thank you," I whispered.

          She smiled. "You're welcome, Nico."