A web of fates | Percy Jackson and the Olympians

XIX| Aftermath

The betrayal of Daphne Evans had shook camp and even once a few days had passed it didn't disappear.

Even now, when a meeting was called the demigods barely spoke. Each cabin had sent a few representatives.

"She was the camps spy," Percy said at last, being the first one to speak - which he had hardly done since the battle.

Theo nodded. "Gods I'm so stupid. I saw the charm on her bracelet, I didn't think much of it but I recognise the symbol now. It was Kronos scythe, it must be how Luke knew our plans. She must've been telling him."

"How long...?" Valentina asked, her voice shaking slightly. Her eyes were fixed on the table in front of her, avoiding the gazes of anyone else in the room.

Nobody blamed her. Daphne was Valentina's best friend, ever since they met at Camp. They told each other everything. The girls betrayal would've shaken her to the core, perhaps even more than Theo.

Oliver sat next to the daughter of Aphrodite, trying to give her some reassurance. Ellis was sat on the girls other side, though his eyes were focused on the floor.

Theo couldn't blame him either, one of his half brothers had been killed during the battle.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy with tension, and even the usually chatty Hermes kids were quiet - something that rarely happened.

Travis and Connor were silent.

Theo bit the inside of his cheek, trying to prevent himself from crying. His mother had warned him a few years back that somebody close to him would betray him.

He had told himself that it wasn't Daphne. She was the only person who he fully trusted. He was wrong.

It was a painful realization, one that cut deep into Theo's heart. Not only had she betrayed the camp, but she'd also betrayed him personally.

Oliver glanced at Theo, seeing the mix of pain and anger in his eyes. He knew that the son of Athena was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

"Gods we are idiots," Annabeth cursed. "She was never the same after Luke's betrayal. If I had to guess when she joined him.. probably when she refused to go back to boarding school?"

There was a murmur of agreement around the room. It seemed like everyone was thinking the same thing. Theo nodded silently.

"I guess that's when she changed," he mumbled.

"I could've done something... I should have seen.." Theo whispered, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You couldn't have known. None of us did," Oliver replied, trying to reassure him, but his words didn't seem to help.

"But I could have! I knew something was off about her, but I didn't... I didn't think it would be that..." Theo trailed off, his voice wavering.

Annabeth looked at Theo. "It's not your fault," she told her brother. "Nobody could have stopped Daphne. She's stubborn and impulsive."

He nods slowly.

"Stubborn and impulsive," he repeated softly. That was one way to describe her. The other was traitor. "She just wanted to be a hero, and she fell for Luke's promise of power."

A few hours later Theo found himself in front of the Hermes cabin. His legs and taken him there mindlessly. Theo guessed it was a habit.

Without thinking, he entered the cabin. Travis, the Hermes head counsellor, was sat on the bunk that was once Daphne's.

He was looking at a picture.

"How are you holding up?" Theo asked.

The son of Athena remembered believing that Travis was going to murder him when he first began to date Daphne.

The older boy looked up at the sound of Theo's voice, and for a moment it looked like there was going to be a rerun of that first encounter. But instead of launching himself at Theo, Travis simply shrugged.

"Could be better," he said, setting the photo down. "And you?"

Theo shrugged. "Just trying not to think much into it."

"Easier said than done, I reckon," Travis commented, giving Theo a knowing look. "I mean, she was your girlfriend."

He picked the photo back up, holding it loosely in his hand as he spoke.

"She was your sister," Theo mumbled walking further into the cabin and sitting down on Daphne's bunk.

Travis's expression darkened. "Yeah, well... not much of a sister anymore, is she..."

He set the photo down once more, his gaze shifting to the ground. The thought that their own sibling had been working for Kronos was not an easy one for any of the Hermes kids to accept.

Theo sighed, looking down at the photo Travis had been holding. It was a photo taken when Daphne must've been around eleven.

She was the only girl in the photo and she stood in front of Luke, the older boys hand putting her in a fake headlock. On her face was the biggest grin.

Next to the two was Chris, who was ruffling up a younger Travis hair. Connor was next to Travis, showing off a grin that showed off his dimples.

All of Hermes claimed kids in one photo... well Chris hadn't been claimed but it was pretty obviously Hermes was his dad.

Travis glanced over at the photo, a nostalgic smile on his face.

"That was a good day..." he said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "We used to be a family. I mean, we still are of course, but since Luke... well, everything's changed. And now Daph..." His voice trailed off, sadness flickering in his eyes. "Chris still isn't really himself, not after the maze but he's started to speak more."

Theo managed a small smile. "That's good, though. It's progress."

Travis nodded. "Yeah, I guess it is. It's hard to watch though."

He paused for a moment before speaking again.

"What do you think will happen? I mean, with Daphne."

The boy glanced out of the cabin window and shrugged. What was Daphne doing right now? He didn't know and had no indication.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I'm going to try and speak to her. I don't think she really wants to betray us, per say, more the gods. She's just mad, probably at your guys father."

Travis's eyebrows furrowed as Theo spoke. "You want to talk to her?" He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Theo. "You know that's crazy, right? I mean, I get that you care about her, but she's working with Kronos. That... that changes things, man. It changed Luke. She's Luke's sister."

"She's also your sister." Theo insisted, he had to believe that there was still some good in Daphne.

He had to hold out hope for his (ex?) girlfriend.

Travis's expression softened slightly. He understood why Theo believed that, and a part of him wanted to believe it too. But it was hard to reconcile the version of Daphne he knew with the girl who'd been spying for Kronos.

"I get it, man. But we can't just ignore what she's done," he said gently. "She betrayed us. Betrayed you. I don't know if she can come back from that."

"She'll change. I know she will."

Travis let out a sigh, his expression turning somber. "I hope you're right, man. I really do. But I'm not gonna hold my breath."

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Just... be careful, alright? If you try to talk to her, keep your guard up. She's not the same person she was before... not anymore. At the end of the day, she is Luke's sister more so than mine. They are the exact same, they think the exact same. Daphne idolised that boy so much, she'll listen to him in order to stay with him."