We Get Advice From A Poodle
We were pretty miserable that night.
"I suppose quite a bit," Clarisse said with a snort.
We camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing the local kids had obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.
"It's so discouraging and infuriating," Demeter said with disappointment.
"That's why I hate mortals; they respect nothing," Poseidon said with disgust.
We'd taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but we didn't dare light a fire to dry our damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day. We didn't want to attract anything else.
"This is the worst part of any quest. You can't do anything because you'll attract the monsters' attention," Thalia said sarcastically.
"Is it really that bad?" Zeus asked.
"Yes. As you can see," Thalia said, pointing at the screen.
We decided to sleep in shifts. I volunteered to take the first watch.
"Shouldn't you be resting? You fought, you must be very exhausted," Apollo asked, concerned for his soulmate.
"If I sleep, it only gets worse," Ariel said sadly.
"What? Why?" Hermes asked worriedly, not noticing Aphrodite's all-knowing smile.
"Because of the demigod dreams," Ariel said angrily.
"Stupid dreams. I hate them," Nico mumbles.
Annabeth was about to go to bed when her eyes landed on my wrist, and she started to gasp. "This is impossible. It can't be," she mutters.
"What's happening? What's wrong?" Poseidon asks, worriedly.
"Just watch, Dad. Everything is fine," Ariel says.
"Ariel, you have three soulmates—how can you be here?" Annabeth asks, confused but concerned.
"I don't understand; why couldn't she be here?" Aphrodite asks.
"What's going on?" Ariel asks, confused.
"Your soulmate. That's the person who perfectly complements you and with whom you're meant to be. It can be a platonic relationship, though that's very rare. If your soulmate is near, you sense the connection, and it starts to develop. Newly discovered soulmates need to spend time together, and it's usually difficult and painful to be apart. But all of this is covered in the orientation film," Annabeth explains.
"She still hasn't seen that film!" Apollo exclaims.
"I'd want a soulmate too," Aphrodite says dreamily.
"Is a soulmate connection really like that?" Athena asks, curiously.
"Yes. At first, it's almost impossible to be apart, and you constantly want to be together. Of course, as the bond settles, it eases a bit, but you still want to be together a lot; it just doesn't hurt as much when you're apart," Ariel explains.
"And don't forget one of the most important things: if one soulmate's mind is controlled or manipulated, the other soulmate can bring them out of it or break the control," Clarisse says, grinning at her father.
"How?" Hera asks, curious.
"You have to hurt or injure the other soulmate," Thalia explains.
At this, Apollo pales, hoping desperately that he never has to do such a thing.
