| The Rising Moon: The Awakening of a Demi-Goddess |

█▓▒­░⡷⠂ɪ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʜᴇ'ꜱ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀᴍᴇꜱ⠐⢾░▒▓█

anthrophobia

(n.) the fear of people and society

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You'd think that sleeping on a tree would be very uncomfortable. To be honest, it was quite luxurious. The soft leaves acting as a cool pillow, the hard yet somehow flexible bark fitting in for the perfect posture, and best of all, Celeste could see the moon.

She was still thinking about her conversation with Nico. It had been a long one, nearly 1,668 words, to be precise, but she couldn't help but feel a bit.. different? What do you call someone who you were more than strangers, but less than.. fra- fri- what was the word? Oh yeah, friend. Out of context, it probably looked pretty sad. A teenage girl who couldn't even pronounce the word friend?

Well seeing that the only friend I have died when I was 5, I guess that the context makes it worse, she gave a sad smile, curling a strand of her silver white hair around one of her fingers. She gave a small yawn. Okay now, I should probably sleep, she closed her eyes, and before she knew it, she was taken away.

Okay, luxurious was an understatement. Either something was wrong with her, or something was defiantly wrong with that tree. How could sleeping on a piece of bark feel so comfortable? She had never slept like that in so, so, so, long. I'm going crazy, she thought silently as she jumped down from her natural bed and started to pick out the leaves in her hair. Something glittering on the ground caught her attention, and she picked up a mirror.

Probably from one of the Aphrodite kids, she thought. Looking at it, she saw that she looked like an absolute mess. Way more leaves were sticking out than she thought so, and there were some smudges of dirt on her face. She whistled, then looked at her long hair. Is there a water source nearby? She closed her eyes and used her sense, satisfied when she heard the sound of gurgling water from a nearby river.

The mirror still in hand, she followed the noise, and swept away a few ferns, content to see a stream full of fresh clearwater. Dropping the mirror, she scooped up some water and began to gently wash her hair, clearing all the sticks and leaves. Once it was smooth and content, she washed her face of all the dirt and dried it. I should probably put it in a ponytail or something, just so it doesn't get dirty easier. Maybe a braid? She honestly ridiculed the idea of hairstyles, but if they were necessary in her hygiene, it wasn't a problem.

Celeste's fingers effortlessly worked, shaping her hair into a three strand dutch braid, loose enough so it wouldn't squeeze, but tight enough so it didn't fall apart. She let her front white hair free, a bit of a rebel move, but who cared? Celeste looked at herself in the mirror one more time before throwing the sparkly pink item into the river. Just as a silent vow that she didn't care what others saw her as, but what she saw her as.

That's what makes me different than the Aphrodite kids, she thought. Her mind had been slowly contemplating which parental god or goddess she was related to, and based on what she saw, there were some she was glad she wasn't relate to.

If she was related to Hermes, she'd talk a lot. As in a lot. She wasn't a vain Aphrodite, or a bubbly friendly Apollo. Although archery was something she was extremely keen with, the sun wasn't much of her.. vibe. Hephaestus? Maybe, but she was more on the idea of using weapons than making them. Maybe Demeter? She had a way with the forest, but something inside her told her that she wasn't made for planting like a farmer all day.

She stood up, not wanting to contemplate anymore. She hadn't eaten since those freaky fire women in the pizzeria. And I still haven't told Chiron about it! Her mind moaned at her stupidity. No, not about not telling Chiron, but the fact she had never asked for food earlier. It was about breakfast time by now. Should I go get something to eat? What if I'm early? What if I'm late? WAit a dam minute. Why am I caring about what they think? She rolled her eyes at her pettiness, then started walking in the direction of camp.