The Force of Four Worlds

Chapter 8 - Rhea

Worried. That's how I felt. Not just "I have long, studious tests that will define my whole future" worried, but "we may accidentally be kidnapping a Roman demigod" worried. I had looked it up: apparently all Roman demigods belonged to their Imperial Senate (can you get any more egotistical?), so if we brought one here, even by accident it would be counted as thievery and we would be war criminals.
But we couldn't just leave her to fend for her self. She was so powerful, unless she was veiled by Aspen's magic, she would be picked off by monsters in an instant. I paved the room: since war preparations began, my cabin, the Athena cabin, spent almost all of its time mapping out battle plans. But not me, I was just little old Rhea, still making her way up in the camp hierarchy at the age of 17.
I knew what my dad would say. "You've got to start somewhere!" I didn't think 'somewhere' would ordering satyrs around, sitting in a leather chair, the outcast of the Athena cabin, trying to accidentally kidnap a Roman. My dad would laugh at that lazily, shrugging it off in a carefree manner.

My eyes started to sting just thinking about him. And then the doors banged open and I heard the chatter of many excited campers. Hastily swiping at my eyes with my hoodie sleeves, I moved out of the bustle, over to my bunk. There was no point in calling it a bed anymore; the silver quilt was covered in piles of paperbacks. I quickly buried my head into one, as if I'd been doing this the whole time. Unlike other half-bloods, I was not dyslexic. As I spent most of my time cooped up the cabin, I always had spare time to read. This was not to my credit today. I flipped open the page onto Chapter 50. Allegiant.

Once again, my eyes tingled and I felt hot splashes on my cheeks. Slamming the book down, I curled up into ball, unaware of the staring eyes bearing down on my meltdown.
"Once again, our grief-stricken Rhea Samudree breaks down after a character death," I heard a slippery sweet voice and looked up in defiance, scoring a round of taunts and laughter from the crowd of campers. At the centre of the gaggle was Anne, the substitute for the head of the Athena cabin. She looked like any other daughter of Athena, with blonde hair and grey eyes, but within those eyes were glints of menace and power. "How's your stupid job going, nerd?"
Oh no. I tried to think of other things: demipugs, cake, cats, trees anything but kidnappi-
"Accidentally kidnapping a Roman?" Anne laughed. "That's sooo stupid!"

Yes. Anne could read minds. There had never been another demigod who could do it and no one except the Athena campers whom she terrorised knew. And who could we tell? Who would believe the innocent Anne could be so cruel? Who would put their self at risk of further cruelty?

"Besides," she stepped closer. "It's not as if you could get a demigod to camp anyway."
She and her friends (correction: terrified followers) laughed and walked out of the cabin. I seized my notebook, looking for my notes on Canna Mychaelis, but I paused. Alcina Smith. Greek. Mortal parent: businessman, away for two months on negotiations. Suspected godly heritage: daughter of Athena. Likes reading. Dislikes Veronica Roth.

Daughter of Athena meant she would be in my cabin.
Likes reading meant she was like me.
Both meant I might finally have a friend.

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