Daughter of Pluto | Wattys2017

VIII

💀💀💀💀Aimee pov💀💀💀💀

I WOKE TO THE FREEZING COLD. Then I remembered where I was. It was always freezing in Cabin Thirteen.

Above my bed, the domed ceiling was decorated with skull tiles and blood red gems. The skull tiles shifted across the ceiling, changing from white to black. Howling echoed through the room, and red gems flashing maliciously.

Except for the large trunk that the other campers had brought me, the cabin had barely any furniture—only a few chairs, one large table, and a dresser. As far as I could tell, it hadn't been lived in for awhile. The walls were carved with alcoves, each holding a silver brazier or a skull on a marble pedestal. In the center of the room, a twenty-foot-tall, full-color statue of Hades in classic Greek robes stood with a helmet at his side,his Helm of Darkness.

I studied the statue, looking for anything I had in common with the Lord of the Underworld. Black hair? Yep. Grumbly expression? Well, maybe. Beard? Definitely no. In his robes and sandals, Hades looked like a really dark, really angry emo.

Yeah, Cabin Thirteen. A big honor, the other campers had told me though they couldn't meet my eyes. Sure, if you liked sleeping in a cold temple by yourself with Emo Hades frowning down at you all night.

I got up and rubbed my neck. My whole body was stiff from bad sleep, and summoning metal and undead. That little trick last night hadn't been as easy as I had let on. It had almost made me pass out.

Next to the bunk, new clothes were laid out for me: black skinny jeans with rips on the legs, purple converse sneakers, and an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt with a new black hoodie hanging off the bed post. I definitely needed a change of clothes, but looking down at my tattered purple shirt, I was reluctant to change. It felt wrong somehow, putting on the camp shirt. I still couldn't believe I belonged here, despite everything they'd told me.

I thought about the dream I had with Jason, hoping more memories would come back to me about Lupa, or that ruined house in the redwoods. I knew I'd been there before. The wolf was real. But my head ached when I tried to remember. The marks on my forearm seemed to burn.

If I could find those ruins, she could find her past. Whatever was growing inside that rock spire, Jason and I had to stop it.

I looked at Emo Hades. "You're welcome to help."

The statue said nothing.

"Thanks, Father," I muttered looking down at my hands that seemed even paler than before.

I changed clothes and checked my reflection in mirror next to her bed brushing my wavy black hair.I definitely didn't look as good as Piper had last night after she'd suddenly been transformed.

I still wasn't sure how I felt about that. Jason had acted like an idiot, announcing in front of everyone that Piper was a knockout. Not like there'd been anything wrong with her before. Sure, she looked great after Aphrodite zapped her, but she also didn't look like herself, not comfortable with the attention.

I had felt bad for her. Maybe that was crazy, considering she'd just been claimed by a goddess and turned into the most gorgeous girl at camp. Everybody had started fawning over her, telling her how amazing she was and how obviously she should be the one who went on the quest—but that attention had nothing to do with who she was. New dress, new makeup, glowing pink aura, and boom: suddenly people liked her. I felt like I understood that.

Last night when I had summoned the metal and undead, the other campers' reactions had seemed familiar to me. I was pretty sure I'd been dealing with that for a long time—people looking at me in awe and terror just because I was the daughter of Hades, treating me special, but it didn't have anything to do with me. Nobody cared about me, just my big scary daddy standing behind me with the threat of death and despair, as if to say, Respect this kid or death will be knocking on your door TONIGHT!