𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 (𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨'𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬)

SIX ; eileen grows a pair

Eileen decided to eat away her guilt.

Soon after the campfire ended, Jason had appeared at Piper's side to formally ask her to join him on the quest. She had agreed, and muttered, "Aphrodite took my snowboarding jacket. Mugged by my own mum."

Jason had found her a blanket to wrap around her, and two had walked off someone to have a quiet chat before curfew. Leo had disappeared long ago, probably to try and sort out their transportation issue, so Eileen was alone. As the campers cleared from the amphitheatre, she sat there for a while longer, thinking over her options. She could try and convince Jason to let her go instead of Miranda - who was more confident, more experienced, and more in control of her powers. Or she could sit here feeling sorry for herself. Eileen decided to pick a third option, and find Rachel. She wouldn't be making any decisions on an empty stomach.

Rachel was being supported by an Apollo camper on the way to the Big House, probably to discuss with Chiron the complications of her newest prophecy, but she waved him away when she saw Eileen.

"Are you alright?" Rachel asked.

Eileen was apparently not as good at hiding her emotions as she thought she was. "I'm alright," she said, "but what about you? That was kinda freaky with your prophecy stuff. Cool, but freaky."

"You get used to it," Rachel shrugged. "Makes me feel like I could eat a horse and then sleep for a week, though."

"Amen," Eileen nodded, "I could get behind that."

Rachel studied her for a moment. Even without the crazy green mist and half-dead voice, Rachel was different. Eileen had a feeling she saw a lot more than the average person.

"You're worried about your friends," Rachel guessed. "They're all leaving without you and you wish you had said something about it, right?"

Eileen blanked. "How- how did you-"

"Just a hunch," Rachel said. "Why don't you tell them that? I'm sure Jason would be happy to have you along."

"I don't know." Eileen admitted. "I got scared. And then Miranda volunteered, and I lost my nerve. What good would I do them anyway, really?"

"You're a lot stronger than you think you are," Rachel smiled. "Fear is normal; important. It can be the difference between staying safe or getting yourself killed. But it's also a choice. When the time comes, it's up to you to choose between what is safe or what is right. Bravery does not exist without fear. How you let it affect you will make all the difference."

Eileen thought about Rachel's words for a moment. What was safe? Staying at camp while her friends risked their own lives to save Olympus - possibly the world. She could stay back, leaving the fighting far far away from her. She could lose basketball games against the Apollo cabin, learn Ancient Greek and how to use her powers with her new siblings. Maybe she would eventually forget her old friends and the thought of them dying a hero's death.

But what was right? Helping the few people that had accepted her as she was - heritage aside. The people that had seen her ugly cry or laugh until she was out of breath. Who had held her during her nightmares and comforted her in a way only best friends could. Maybe she would die, but maybe it would be with the people she loved. Eileen knew what was right. But whether or not she would be able to follow through... she wasn't sure yet.

Rachel wrapped an arm around Eileen's shoulder. "Come on," she said. "Let's find ourselves something to eat before bed."

「⸙͎」

That night, Eileen dreamt of Mrs. Dione in her sinister black clothing, telling her that her friends had died in battle and it was all her fault.

Mrs. Dione (or Aunty as she tried so hard to be called) had first appeared in Eileen's life on the night of her dad's re-marriage. After the claimed 'death' of Eileen's birth mother (which Eileen now knows was impossible), Peter Thomas took on the role of a single father. He was a shorter man, with greying black hair and creases in his skin that told of a rough life. He was a farmer down in Australia where he had met Eileen's mother before moving up Nevada after her untimely disappearance soon after Eileen's birth.