El Fuego y La Flor - The Storm

Chapter 1 - Breakfast with some extra Prophecy at the side.

Cassia

I should probably start with the day where it all began. It was a beautiful morning in early May. Sun shining through the curtains of the window. Low gusts of wind carrying the scent of summer inside the cabin. It truly was the perfect start of the day - and way... way too early to be awake. I slowly opened my eyes, the bright sun hitting me straight on, blinding me brutally. With a low grunt I turned to the side, my body feeling heavy from the training of the previous day. Try climbing a lava wall while some ares kid is chasing you with a sharpened spear. It's not a nice experience, and I can't recommend it (except if you're into that.) My sight blurred, I only vaguely took in the surroundings of the 40th Cabin - twelve beds, six on each side, all unoccupied except for mine. The colours of the ceiling and walls were kept dark, to fit the death theme of the Queen of the underworld. The golden paint, drawing intertwined flowers and leaves, their vines stretching over the walls and loosely covering the ceiling, were the only drops of colour in this dark mansion, and also the main difference of the Persephone cabin to the Hades Cabin. In my mother's realm, spring had always been strongly portrayed. Whoever had built this, cabin chose to ignore that, and instead went for a dark romantic theme.

I sighed, the last remnants of sleep fading from my brain. Still puffed and with blurred vision, I blinked again, trying to focus my eyes completely. Then I got up, stumbled over to the chair with my casual clothes. I carelessly put something on, a normal white shirt and dark blue jeans, before stepping out of my Cabin. Moments like these, I was thankful I didn't have a sibling who ripped open the curtains and yelled »GOOOOD MORNING« At the top of their lungs. Seriously, if I did have a sibling like that, they wouldn't have a high chance of survival.

The sun was still low, it could barely be 7am yet, nonetheless, the camp was already brimming with life - as much as that was possible with about only eight inhabitants. Most of the Campers arrived during late June or early July. But September to May, the houses were mostly empty, except for some who didn't have anywhere else to go. I lazily made my way to the Demeter Cabin - they were the closest I had to family in this Camp, although they were technically my aunts and uncles. Naturally, none of them were awake yet. Just like their mother, they liked to sleep in, and believe me, you didn't want to wake them up early. Without another word, I sat down on a small bench behind their Cabin, watching the Strawberry fields and the flowers flourish, the sun shining over the hill, engulfing Thalia's Tree in a golden light.

I guess this would be a good moment to actually introduce myself. I am Cassia Flores, currently the only inhabitant of Cabin 40, and a daughter of Persephone. »Haha your name is Flores and you're a daughter of Persephone?«, You'd probably say now, and yes, I have noticed the irony. Anyways - my father was from Cuba, and we moved here when I was two years old. I came to camp at age 14, which was about three years ago. A couple months less. You know, that time when a giant metal dragon, together with some Earth Titan exploded? Yeah, that was when I arrived. I don't think I'd have anything else about me, except that I sleep like a kid of Hypnos (minus the snoring. They snore awfully loud!) and occasionally have a moment of clarity like a kid of Athena's. That, however, would be it.

Speaking of "sleeping like a kid of Hynos'", I didn't notice dozing off again. What woke me up, was the loud and clear noise of the horn, calling for breakfast - at least I hoped it was breakfast, not dinner or the capture the flag game. It had happened once, that I had overslept a whole day and woke up for the nightly round around the camp fire. My sleep schedule was messed up after that. I flinched, my gaze running over the surroundings around me. Miranda Gardiner, the head of the Demeter cabin was standing next to me, one hand stretched out, just inches from my shoulder. »Good morning!«, She said hesitantly, a smile forming on her lips. I just groaned again and stretched before getting up. Before you assume otherwise - I can speak. I just disliked doing so in the mornings.

Miranda's smile continued to shine as bright as the sun. I wondered if Apollo had helped with that. I had only met the god once and that was when the whole Camp got a bad case of Hay fever from him. It was an incredible experience, not exactly great but definitely something you could talk about if you run out of topics in a social gathering.
»Do you want to get breakfast?«
Miranda's voice made me snap out of my day dreams. As the word breakfast fell, my stomach growled loudly. Wonderful timing. I nodded and followed her to the pavilion. Most of the eight campers were already here, maybe one or two oversleeping, or simply skipping breakfast. The seating order wasn't as strict as for dinner, but I still stuck to the Demeter kids. They were the most likely to know that I'd attack anyone with a fork if they tried to talk to me while I was eating. They were also the least likely to test that idea.

We offered our food to the gods, sent our prayers for health, another week without death, the next capture the flag win or the new xbox and then we ate. Most people remained quiet during breakfast, some others talked loudly. The Dionysus cabin kids, Pollux and Castor were already drinking their strawberry juice - a substitute for real wine. And Harley, the young son of Hephaestus gulped down his food with half opened eyes, as if he was eating in his sleep. My gaze wandered around for a bit, while I ate my fried eggs and toast. And then, right before I finished, everything seemed to happen all at once.

At first, Chiron got up to announce a game. Which one, we'd never know because the next thing that happened, was a burst of green fog from his right side and Rachel jumping up like a bolt, her eyes glowing with Delphi's power. Chiron hadn't even stopped talking yet, as she already blurted out a prophecy. While she talked, I dropped my fork, some kid at the Hermes table fell off backwards, and did an accidental somersault. People all around begun to whisper and some even gasped loudly. The chaos stopped me from catching the whole prophecy - only the last four lines were remnant, which led me to drop my fork again, right after I had picked it up. After all, this was the first prophecy that clearly mentioned me:

Two spawn's of gods
Child of fires, seeking relief
Against all odds
The child of spring, only offering grief

Silence spread across the pavilion, only for a moment everyone was completely and utterly quiet, too stunned to speak. Rachel had dropped to the floor and grunted while she got up, Chiron was still standing next to the table, his gaze switching around the Campers nervously, remaining on me for a second longer than the others. Then his gaze wandered to a point behind me, and, like everyone, I slowly turned around to look at the newly arrived. The last four lines had already implied my involvement. But the 'child of fires' could only be one other; who else would have the power to ignite anything, including themselves?

The, obviously still half-asleep and very worn out Leo Valdez looked like he had just fallen out of his bed. Though from what I was told, he often looked like that. Disheveled hair, sticking up on one side. Only his expression was different, not the usual mischievous look in his eyes, but this time rather tired and confused. His glance wandered over Rachel, to Chiron, meeting his gaze, before he quietly took a plate and sat down, not speaking until he had taken the first bite.
»Did I miss something?«