THIS IS ME TRYING

22: Chariot Fights

LUNA DIDN'T know why she decided to go back to Hermes Cabin because it wasn't exactly the perfect place for her to calm down. Firstly, she was treated like an outcast in that Cabin— well, technically she was treated differently everywhere. Secondly, the engraved writing on her wooden bunk bed reminded her of how much everyone hated her here. Last year, she managed to paint over some of the graffiti, but she couldn't remove the engraved letters. Witch-Bitch! was still written above her bed. Every night when she fell asleep, she was reminded of it. She wasn't entirely sure why the other kids made fun of her... considering they were all going through the same experiences with having Gods for parents. Surely, the other Campers would be the most understanding of Luna's abilities... but no! They outcasted her for being the daughter of Hecate. Something that was out of her control.

When she told Sally about it last year, the woman had told her that maybe the Campers had their own personal issues going on; Sally explained that some kids bullied other kids because they were upset with their own life. But Luna didn't quite understand why somebody would want to ruin somebody else's day, when they obviously knew what it was like to feel worthless. Sally also reassured that maybe they were cautious about her abilities because they hadn't had the chance to learn about what Luna could do; Sally suggested that maybe Luna could explain her magic to them. And it was a good idea, despite the fact that it would make her look like even more of a freak. She appreciated Sally's advice, though.

Luna wanted to be alone because so many things had happened already. Luke had poisoned Thalia's tree for starters... and Luna wished that she hadn't stormed off because she missed it. She could've caught up to the boy and killed him, hurt him. Anything! But instead, she was sulking in a Cabin in which she didn't belong. She didn't belong anywhere. Tantalus had replaced Chiron's role at Camp. Plus, Tyson had been claimed by Poseidon. Luna hadn't got the chance to congratulate the boy, and she hadn't seen Percy to talk to him about it. Her brothers were stuck in Cabin Confinement.

She hadn't slept, mainly because the nightmares seemed to grow worse every night. The water drowned her in her sleep, so she'd wake up gasping for air— Luna decided to stay awake, so the Hermes kids weren't awoken by her gasps for breath. Still, she couldn't get the numbers from her head... she was seeing them everywhere now: 30 campers gathering around the table, 31 pieces of cereal in her bowl, 75 pages into her sorcery book, 12:00 in the afternoon.

Luna had been helping Tyson with the Poseidon's Chariot all morning. She didn't understand the instructions of creating a chariot, but Tyson didn't mind taking over most of the jobs. He had practically made the chariot from scratch. Luna decided to join the Poseidon's team, hopefully helping Percy win. It was important for them to win because, as Annabeth had explained, winning would gain them favours with the Gods. Both Percy and Annabeth seemed eager to retrieve a Quest— Tantalus had declined, so now they turned to the Gods for help.

Percy greeted, "Hey. Where's Tyson?"

Luna looked up from cleaning the chariot, "He wanted me to take his place. He was happy to make the chariot, though. He's good at making things." She wanted to talk about Tyson being Percy's brother, but she wasn't entirely sure how the boy felt about it.

"Yeah," Percy nodded, "It looks good."

"Where's Annabeth?" Luna asked.

"Talking to Chiron— Iris message." Percy explained simply, "Did she tell you about the Golden Fleece?"

"That it could save Thalia's tree, yeah." Luna hesitated. She questioned, "Percy? Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah," The boy said, a concerned expression on his face, "Anything."