RECLUSE - (n) a person who lives a solitary life and tends to avoid other people.
MAISIE ELLIOT WAS ANGRY.
Angry at the world.
Angry at the Gods.
Angry at the demigods who seemed to move on too fast.
And when forced onto a quest with three stranger...
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MAISIE WAS EXHAUSTED
Her eyes continued to droop as she sat alone at the nemesis table. She was used to it. Donovan usually spent his time enjoying life around camp and occasionally showing up fashionable late towards the end of lunch anyway. Keeping her head down, she nibbled bread as people took turns making their offerings. She had stopped participating a while ago. All her faith in the gods had been lost. While her mind continued to wander and she imagined running away from all her demigod problems.
"HEY MAISE"
She heard a voice shout. Shaping her out of her wistful daydreams.
"Don't call me that" she muttered lowly, as she lowered her head down on the wood to avoid the face of Parker. To her annoyance, he just slid next to her on the bench and flicked her head. Her glare was murderous.
Soft clicks echoed from Cora's black Mary Jane's in the noisy dining pavilion as she approached with her plate in hand, sketchbook in the other, and multiple pencils tucked behind her ear.
"Don't bother poor Maisie. It's obvious she didn't get enough sleep last night. Would you like me to make you some tea or coffee to keep you awake? I have plenty in my cabin!" Cora offered.
Maisie appreciated the gesture and managed a small grimace, that she hoped Cora noticed was her way of showing gratitude, and said, "No, I'm good."
Silence engulfed the table. Maisie wished it had stayed like that. It wasn't long before one of them had begun to speak.
"I'm going to head to the strawberry fields today and get more inspiration for my sketches," Cora stated, "you guys should come with too! We can skip lunch and have a picnic."
"Yeah sure that sounds fun," replied Parker. Of corse he wasn't going to say no to Cora. Parker was obviously infatuated with Coralline, and Maisie knows. Not just because she is talented at reading people (perks of being a child of nemesis); everybody at camp knows. He stares at her like she's the only girl in the room, the only star left in the sky, like his whole world is sitting diagonally from him. It makes Maisie feel sick. Actually scratch that. Its takes a tremendous amount of strength within her to not projectile vomit all over the table.
With her appetite lost and her social battery completely drained, Maisie pushed her plate forward and grabs her jacket off the bench, planning to book it back to the safety of her cabin to get some more alone time. Right as she's about to leave, a firm grip grabs her forearm and pulls her back down into the table.
Momentarily shocked, Maisie only looks towards the culprit who only gives a sly smile in return. Cora's attention is now completely on Maisie. Her big icy blue eyes piercing her light green ones in return.
"Please come with us Maisie! I don't want to have to force you to hang out with us again."
Maisie had been taken hostage multiple times and forced to play third wheel while Cora and Parker flirted with eachother for the whole evening. Once, Parker literally threw her over his shoulder and took off running full speed, and another time, Cora had sprouted vines at her feet and quite literally dragged her across camp to hang out.
"No I'm busy today" Maisie replied. Hoping they would take the hint she wasn't interested and drop it. Much to her dismay, they did not get the hint and instead continued to speak further.
"Busy doing what? Rotting in your bed all day? C'mon Maisie! Let's go have some fun for once."
"I don't think Maisie is capable of having fun" Parker replied as Cora roughly kicked his leg from under the table.
Thankfully, saving her from her misery, a camper begun shouting and pointing towards the sky. Many campers stood dumbfounded, myself included, at that could possible be happening. And then we saw it.
"Oh my gods!" Cora called out.
The Apollo chariot was approaching rapidly fast, heading towards the lake. Campers immediately went into action. Some ran for the lake while others grabbed towels and the big blow dryers. I for one walked to the lake and stood at the edge of the crowd as we watched the chariot sink. I could vaguely see the shapes of demigods in the water before they were shot out by the river nymphs.
LEO VALDEZ
We watched as the wreckage of the chariot was tossed from the lake and landed nearby with a wet crunch.
Annabeth!" A guy with a bow and quiver on his back pushed through the crowd. "I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"
"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get it fixed, I promise."
He scowled at the broken chariot. Then sized up Leo, Jason, and Piper. "These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"
"Claimed?" I asked.
Before Annabeth had a chance to explain, Will continued.
"Any sign of Percy?"
"No." Annabeth admitted.
The campers began to mutter. Leo had no clue who this Percy Jackson was, but this seemed to be a big deal.
Another girl stepped forward— Tall, Asian, dark hair in ringlets, plenty of jewelry, and perfect makeup. Somehow she managed to make a T-shirt look glamorous, but Leo wasn't looking at her.
As Leo's eyes scanned the crowd, he landed on a particular girl who seemed to stand on the edge of the crowd, away from everyone near her; She seemed the most uncomfortable with two people closest to her.
Dois mío, she was pretty.
She wore dark faded baggy jeans with tattered converse adorned with many drawings. Her large camp t-shirt had been cut along the neckline, draping it across her right shoulder and falling off the left. She wore layered necklaces with an assortment of rings, and a set of deadly looking brass knuckles. Her face was slim, and slightly pale. Her face was contorted into a scowl, seeming as though it was stuck that way, but her green eyes are what stuck out to him most. They were like the color of jade, reminding him of the forrest. He could have stared into them forever. However, they seemed to be dim. Seemingly holding misfortunes, burdens, and secrets that only made Leo wanted to discover more.
She hadn't looked in his direction yet, she was too busy looking towards Jason and Piper. A feeling Leo couldn't recognize had filled her eyes and her hands began to visibly shake. Nobody seemed to notice as she silently took a step back. Then two. Then three. Then she was gone without a trace. Leo had wished he knew what was bothering her. To hold her as she told him her deepest secrets. To wipe the tears away from her beautiful eyes.
Man, he was already falling in love with this girl, and he didn't even know her name.
