YOUNGER

Chapter 6

!TW! Trauma from/and injuries including burns and supposed self harm. May be graphic, however the chapter has more of Helena's backstory.

First Person: Helena

I look towards the empty Hades table, then at the crowded tables I'd have to walk past to reach it. The smell of lasagna drifts up to my nose. It almost begs me to sit down to eat. I shake my head. "Nope. I'm gonna, go sit somewhere else." No one hears me. I wasn't talking to anyone.

I swiftly walk out of the loud area. It's quieter pretty much everywhere else in the camp during meal times. The only thing that stops me from eating anywhere other than with the other demigods is when Nico pushes me towards his father's table. Will told me about a year ago that the son of Hades worried that I wouldn't eat unless someone was watching me — I love food too much to not eat most of the time, so he doesn't need to worry. I told him that but he just replied that he didn't want me to isolate myself either.

"He's not here right now, so I'm good," I whisper into the cool air. It took a while for me to get used to the colder climate — even though the weather inside the camp was always perfect — since, as far as anyone knows, I grew up on the sweltering, monster infested plains of Tartarus. I shudder as I remembered my early childhood. One of the nicknames I almost got from Nico was 'miracolosa', which he said translated to 'miracle' in Italian. Everyone had said it was a miracle I was alive.

No one ever thought about what price I had to pay to be their miracolosa.

I sit down on one of the large steps that lead down to the bonfire. Fire has always been a comfort to me. One of the things I never used to understand was what it was, and why it felt even hotter than the rest of Tartarus. I soon found that if you put your hands far enough in the fire, it would feel the opposite of hot.

Note to everyone: that's basically from overloading these things called thermoreceptors in your skin. Not a good idea.

I put my plate on the stone beside me before cradling my hands on my lap. Somehow, I still had skin on them. If you looked close enough, you'd see the smooth shine of healed scar tissue that painted most of my hands and climbed up almost to my elbows. It escaped the attention of all of the other campers, but I kept thin crochet gloves on them because of 'sensory issues'. Or that's what the rest of them believed.

Nico knew about some of the scars dotting my shoulders and back, but he never asked what they were from. Once he saw me holding a knife to my palm and then told me about what self harm was. To be honest, I was weighing the dagger to find a weapon to train with. I haven't touched a weapon since.

I think my eyes used to be blue. I found a dagger in Tartarus when I was really young, back when I didn't know my age, or what time was. Back when my life was run, run, scavenge, run. I found a polished dagger among a bunch of broken spiderwebs and other junk, polished enough to show my reflection. I'd seen a calm, deep blue, different to any colour I'd seen before. I'd kept the dagger, learning how to defend myself with it until I could take on the occasional hoard of monsters with little more than a scratch.

I lost the dagger just before I somehow stumbled into the Fields of Asphodel and was found by Hades and Persephone.

I sigh, watching as undetected tears fall through my thin gloves onto my ruined skin, before placing my place back on my lap. The lasagna is soon gone with my tears and emotion. I stare into the fire, numb.

•••

"Are you sure she's here? I can't see anyone."

"This is her favourite place. Plus, she's not in the cabin or anywhere else."

"Is that her? Oh! Lena!"

Someone wraps their arms around my shoulders, filling my nose with a soft candy shampoo scent.

"Hazel?" My voice feels rough and dry.

"That's me!" The girl sits beside me, keeping me in a half-embrace. "How are you?"

I rest my head on her shoulder. "Never been better. What about you?"

Hazel sighs. "Well, I'm angry, for a start. You shouldn't have to go on the quest. I'm confused as well. Why did it apparently specifically ask for me and Frank?"

"Did Nico tell you the actual prophecy?"

"Oh why would I do that?" A black clad figure moves my dinner plate to sit beside me. "That ruins all of the fun!"

"What fun?" I deadpan.

Nico sighs. "Just tell her the prophecy. Frank's catching up with Piper, Leo, Annabeth and... Percy."

"Why...? Actually, just tell me the prophecy." Hazel glances at Nico.

I sigh. "With the child of darkness, child of light, the child of Death must take flight-"

"Must? What does that oracle think-"

"Hazel, let her finish." Nico squeezes my shoulder, urging me to continue.

"Children of rubies and animals galore, must assist the trio before they fall; him of madness will follow the five; to save the cursed, stop his demise."

We sit still, watching the dance of the flames. The sound of far away laughter pierces the chilled air.

Hazel wraps her other arm around me. "Oh, Lena. I'm so sorry you have to deal with prophecies."

"You went on your first quest when you were my age."

"And sometimes I wish I didn't. It changed me. It changed all of us."

Nico nods. "About that, Hazel — before I say this, promise you won't hurt anyone." I can feel his body tensing next to me, probably under Hazel's harsh glare. "Please, promise Helena that you won't hurt anyone."

"What happened?"

"Promise!"

"Okay. I promise. Now what happened?" Hazel's voice, while quiet, still boomed with anger.

Nico sighed. "A few days ago, a group of monsters somehow got inside the camp borders. I'd asked Helena to stay away and yet she'd ran out and somehow killed all of the monsters. They just..." He flicked his fingers out from loose fists. "Percy was, scared and, confused, and so he... did you know he could blood-bend?"

I wince as Hazel tenses. "Percy can... Annabeth said something happened down in... but she never... where is he?" Hazel stands up, golden eyes glowing red.

"Hazel! You promised not to hurt anyone!"

She sits down, exasperated. "Are you alright, Lena?"

I smile softly. "Yeah. I've forgiven Percy. He's gone through stuff that no one else could imagine."

"But you can."

My heart starts racing. "I don't remember very much from back then."

"You said 'no one else could imagine'. You can imagine it, can't you?" Nico blinks as if he just woke up — which, in a sense, could be true. "Hades said that you needed us all, Mr D and Apollo gave us a clue to help with the quest, they wouldn't do that if..."

Nico gasps. "We never asked you what happened in Tartarus, did we."

He's not asking, I can tell. Nico knows what I've been hiding. "Yes you did," I lie.

"Nico, what are you... oh. Helena, why haven't you talked to anyone about your childhood in Tartarus?" Hazel's comment tips the scale.

"It's too hot here. I have to go." It's actually quite cold, but I don't acknowledge it.

"Helena!" Hazel grabs my wrist as I walk past her.

"Let me go." I turn around, glaring at Hazel until she releases my wrist. I run away from my siblings, almost barreling into Frank and the other demigods. I meet Percy's eyes momentarily before darting away from the demigods. Tears rush down my face as I flee.

No one runs after me.