Tale of the Raging Sea

Chapter 8

[December 1st, 1941]

It was like any other day. We relaxed and ate food together, but Jason and I refused to look at each other. Leo sat in between us, which made him uncomfortably nervous. He hardly touched his food. He would take the occasional glance to the left and to right, then stare at his food. Finally, he picked up his spoon and picked at carrots he had in front of him. Charlie and both set of twins just stared at two of us and said nothing. I could say the silence was very annoying. It went like that for a few more minutes until Lee sat with us. He brought a new face with him. His name was Ethan Nakamura, a Japanese American, from the US Army. He didn't look very happy to be there. It made things harder for me, so I got up from the table first and didn't go back.

I walked around port and got close enough the shore to feel the water. I rolled up my pants and took off my boots. I placed them somewhere I could see them. I walked closer and let water crash against my legs. It was really cold, but refreshing. I watched it lap the shore over and over. I never got tired of hearing the splashes and swooshes the waves did whenever they collided with my legs. I closed my eyes and saw Annabeth's face. I wondered what she was doing. I wondered if she was in trouble. Something definitely happened, but she couldn't tell me. The letter wasn't a letter. It was more like a telegram message - short and sweet to the point. I opened my eyes and looked towards the horizon. Somewhere, behind enemy lines was being held captive. I refused to let myself think about what they were doing to him. We were told there was no toleration for Allied Forces. They didn't hesitate to kill us all. I prayed Frank was alright.

A Native Hawaiian approached me slowly and offered me a grape vine from her fruit basket. She wore a long white summer dress with flowers in her hair. I could tell she was at the beach a lot because her  At first, I wasn't in the mood to eat. I was going to decline, but she wore such a gentle smile that I took a few grapes from the vine. "Mahalo." I told her. She rested the basket on her hip.

"Grind." She told me as she offered more fruit. "Dat too little." I looked down at the basket and grabbed a banana. "Dat better. Why you here? Braddah looks unhappy."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. A little tired, but fine."

She shrugged. "Work too much."

I laughed. "Yes, exactly. Too much work."

"Ola i ke ahe lau makani." She told me. "There is life in a gentle breath of wind."

I smiled at her. It was amazing how nice the Natives were. They always had phrases of wisdom I came to love. Some of them were so true it hurt, but this one was more a lifter-upper. "Thank you very much."

The girl winked at me. "See you." She said before walking away.

I watched her dress flow in the breeze. I looked back to the ocean and ate the banana. It was delicious. The taste was different from the ones found in the mainland. I was convinced Hawaii was truly paradise. Oddly enough, I didn't see that girl ever again. She must of been an angel to tell me to cheer up. It worked.

-------------------------------------------

I joined the boys in the cabin. I sat next to Jason, which made him confused. He glanced over to me, but didn't speak to me. I knew he was still mad at me, but not as mad as the previous night. I knew he couldn't stay mad at me forever.

"I read the letter." I told him. That got his attention. He looked at me. "I didn't want to tell you because, well, it isn't good news. I didn't want to destroy the paradise you were living in."

Jason shook his head and sighed. "Percy, what paradise? My paradise is waiting for me back home. We are soldiers. Whatever is going on in the world is not a joke. If you think I can turn a blind eye from what is happening, you thought wrong."