Sunlight | Luke Castellan

XXVIII. i become a horse girl

   The archery session, not to my surprise, was abysmal. The middle-school-aged campers outshot me with ease, a mixture from the cabins, and a few even giggled as my arrows would wobble through the air and miss their target. I didn't mind, and I smiled along with them. With everything that was going on, it was relieving to know that some joy could still be found at camp.

There were only a few hours until dinner, and I was starting to dread it. I hadn't checked in with Chiron yet, and with Percy still in school, that meant sitting alone again at Cabin Three's table. It wasn't like I hadn't been in that situation before, but it was different knowing I wouldn't be able to glance over to Cabin Eleven to find a friend.

"Silena?" I called out as I entered the pegasus stable. One of her siblings had told me I could find her there, but there was no response. A tan pegasus leaned its head out of the nearest stall at the sound of my voice, and it neighed softly. I recognized the white strip along its face. "It's you."

The pegasus bobbed its head almost in response, and its dark eyes were soft as it stared. I carefully approached, and I offered a hand that hovered a few inches from the side of its face. The creature leaned into it, a slow exhale sounding from its nose. I couldn't help but smile slightly as it watched me, blinking every so often with its long lashes.

"I should have come to visit you," I told the pegasus, feeling a weight on my chest that I didn't quite understand. "You were the one of the first things I really connected with." My smile faded. "I just wish you didn't remind me of him." The creature snorted, and I heard its hooves clop against the floor. Its eyes had been expressive the first time I'd met it, but as I stared longer, I could have sworn that it was looking back with pity.

There was a crashing noise, startling both me and the pegasus, and my head jerked toward the stable's entryway. A large water bucket was rolling on the floor, water already soaking into the dirt. Silena stood behind the mess, the young girl's jaw dropped, and her eyes were so wide that you would have thought she saw a ghost. For a split second, there was only silence.

And then she raced forward and wrapped her arms around me.

"You came back," Silena sighed in relief, her words slightly muffled as she leaned in close. Her camp sleeves were cuffed, and she wore dark jean shorts with embroidered pockets. Despite working with the winged horses under the sun, I could smell the scent of her perfume fresh on her skin. My hand cradled the back of her head as I held the camper close. Her hug hadn't relented yet. "I didn't think you would."

Her voice cracked, and my bottom lip threatened to tremble. I let out an exhale and briefly closed my eyes, allowing my head to rest on top of hers. "I made you a promise, didn't I?" I consoled her, and I felt her nod against my chest.

The pegasus leaned forward and nudged the girl with its snout, causing her to finally lift her head. Silena pulled back to smile at the creature. "Don't mock me," she told it teasingly, gently tapping its nose. The pegasus huffed in response, but it stayed close to her hand. "You better be nice to Eleni."

I leaned a shoulder against the stall and looked between the two of them. I'd heard about Silena's connection with the pegasi, but I'd never seen it up close. Some of the others were sticking their heads out at the sound of her voice, waiting patiently for their turn to be with her. They ranged from white to dark brown, but none of them caught my eye as much as the one beside me.

"I'm surprised Caspian interested you so much," Silena commented, taking a glance back at me. She moved to pick up the water bucket that she previously abandoned on the floor. "He's not the best when it comes to making new friends. Quite a biter." I began to retract the hand that was reaching toward the pegasus, but I didn't get too far before he quickly moved into my touch. The girl let out a lighthearted laugh at the scene, and she crossed to the other side of the stable to check on the other winged animals. "He's very picky about who can get close."