The Force of Four Worlds

14 - Rhea

Wow, we're on chapter 14?

She was here. Alcina. Will and Katie went out to get them once they found out the Minotaur was on their trail. Canna went with Katie to prepare the mortal's burial shroud, and Will took Alcina to the infirmary to check her. I skipped along to the Apollo cabin happily. We were going to be best friends at first sight. We'd be like parabatai. But I was not expecting what happened.
She was taller than she looked on the cameras, but other than that she looked completely the same. She was squinting at a medical book, Will trying to interrogate her on what happened. "What did the Minotaur look like?" "Tall." "Can you elaborate on that?" Pause. "Quite tall."
I cleared my throat and they turned to me. I smiled, and Alcina frowned at me like I was demented. I can't imagine why.
"Hi there!" I said. Alcina winced like the sound was too high to process. I felt hurt - I had a perfectly normal voice. But I let her off, she was going to my non-romantic soulmate, maybe there were super high frequencies she could hear when I was talking. She giggled as I thought this. That must have been a coincidence. Unless... we were such good friends we'd be able to read each other's minds! I smiled at her and thought, 'We're going to be such good friends!'
At this, she burst out laughing. Ok, that had to be a coincidence, she'd never laugh at her best friend. But at this she fell over herself laughing. Will eyed her nervously, rolled his eyes and walked out. "This is Rhea," he called. "She'll be your... guide for now."
I smiled, eagerly. We were already getting along so well!

Alcina gathered herself, and stood up. "I'm-"
"Alcina Smith," I nodded happily.
She looked at me nervously. Why did everyone stare at me like I was a lunatic? I mean, I only knew who she was because I'd been watching her for 3 months now.
"That's not creepy at all," she muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing."
She folded the page of the medical book over. "So I'm a child of Athena?"
"Supposedly," I replied. I admit my voice may have gone up an octave then, but I was excited, leave me alone. "That's why I'm here!" I splayed my hands out. "Ta da!" She was supposed to look more impressed. I brushed it off. My fabulousness is hard to process, I know. "Anyway, I'm going to take you to our cabin!"
"Wait," she gripped the edges of the book. "Our cabin?!"
"Yes!" I clapped my hands. "I'm your sister!"
She must have been dehydrated. It couldn't have been my fantastic revelation that made her faint.

"So let me get this straight," Will had said when he walked back in. "She fainted because she couldn't process the amaZhangness of your sistership?"
"Evidently," I said seriously. "What other explanation is there?"
When we got back to the Athena cabin, Alcina agreed with me. She was laughing, too, for some reason. Maybe she was just so joyful in my presence she just had to laugh. Will raised an eyebrow at her as she lapsed back into a giggling fit. He rolled his eyes and left. I dragged Alcina over to her bunk.
"Here you are!" I said happily. "This is your bunk!"
She looked to the right of her bed. "Who's is the book pile?" she asked, looking at my bunk.
"Mine!" I proclaimed. "And don't worry, you can borrow any of them at any time." I paused. "Except for if I'm reading them. Or if it's Allegiant. Believe me, you don't need your-"
"Heart broken, I know," she looked away. "It's fine. I've read all of them anyway."
"Really?" We already had so much in common! I started squealing excitedly. Someone tapped on my shoulder.
"Hey idiot," Anne turned me around. "Shut up. She doesn't want to be your friend."
Alcina tensed, as I looked back and forth between them. She glared at Anne, her facial expressions changing from shocked, to insulted, to determined. Anne looked back at her. She shook her head and walked off, looking a little... scared? No. In my experience, Anne only did 'scary'.
I broke the awkward silence. "So that's-"
"Anne. Head counsellor. Horrible person." Alcina said.
"How did you do that?" I found it spooky.
"I can read minds." She said it as if it were something shameful. "And I'm sorry Rhea but I've already got a best friend."
She walked over to her bunk and picked one of the books on Greek mythology up from her bedside table, leaving me alone.
I looked over at Anne. She stared back at me triumphantly. Then, something odd happened. She clutched her head in pain, and doubled over. Her friends rushed to her, and she screamed. She pulled herself back up and looked at Alcina. Alcina looked back, her grey eyes blazing, book forgotten on the floor. Anne clutched her head again, and shuffled out of the cabin, muttering that it was just a headache.
I looked back at Alcina, then at her book. It was open on the floor. I picked it up and read aloud:
"'Catoblepas," I paused. "'buffalo-like creature with shaggy fur, large horns and a heavy head whose gaze could kill.'" Alcina looked up, shocked and scared. Then, she ran out of the cabin.
And here I was again. Rhea Samudree. Alone again.

Awww, poor bean. ANYWAY PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT IF YOU ENJOY OUR STORY, WE ARE ON TIME TODAY SO HA
~ Eryn (@-MiniVeronicaRoth- )