Calm before a Storm

Chapter 5

still Chloe's POV

Chloe was tense and pacing when Aubrey got back from her class. The tall blonde cocked her head and looked confused, setting her books down on the coffee table and walked over.

"Chlo', what's going on?" she asked.

"Bree, you remember that girl that we talked to at the activities fair that said she didn't sing?" Chloe asked her nervously.

"Alt Girl? Yeah, I remember her. Why?" Aubrey said quietly.

"You know who my dad is right?" 

"Yeah. Chlo', where are you going with this?" Aubrey looked slightly peeved now.

"I think she's a half-blood. I saw her kill a monster today." Chloe admitted.

"That's... honestly not surprising. Most of the previous Bellas and Bella hopefuls have been demigods. The exception being Alice and she could see through the Mist." Aubrey told her. "How'd you find out, anyway?"

"I went for a run and found her talking to someone. All of the sudden, the monster showed up and she killed it. Bree, what if she's one of the Big Three's?" Chloe said, starting to get worried.

"Then she's probably a lot more stronger than a lot of half-bloods, Chloe. Now, I think it's time we start to plan for auditions."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chloe was taking a shower, enjoying the warm water soothing her sore muscles, when a soft voice came into the room, singing Titanium to themselves. Wondering who it was, Chloe slowly walked over to the stall they were in and peeled the curtain back. It was Beca, who was blissfully unaware that she was there. What Chloe saw shocked her. On her back, there were pink scars that looked relatively recent, as if she'd gotten them at least five years ago or less. One one her shoulder was an ugly shade of red and was jagged, tracing over her shoulder and out of sight as it wrapped around her ribs. The other two looked better and smaller, easily just flesh wounds. Beca was still singing.

"You can sing!" At Chloe's words, Beca spun around, eyes wide.

"DUDE!" she yelled, pulling the curtain over her. Chloe pushed it aside easily.

"How high does your belt go?" Chloe asked as she turned the water off.

"My what? Oh my gods."

"You have to audition for the Bellas." Chloe said happily.

"I can't concentrate on anything you're saying until you cover your junk." Beca said, her eyes still wide and uncomfortable and looking anywhere but at Chloe.

"Just consider it. One time, we sang backup for Prince. His butt was so tiny, I could hold it with, like, one hand." She accidentally knocked the bottle of shampoo out of the younger girl's hands. "Oops."

Beca went after it, but gave up and turned to the wall. "Seriously, I am nude." she grumbled.

"You were singing Titanium, right?"

Beca looked back, a small smile on her face. "You know David Guetta?"

"Have I been living under a rock? Yeah. That song is my jam. My lady jam."

The uncomfortable look was back. "That's nice."

"It is. That song really builds." Chloe said, winking.

"Gross." Beca whispered.

"Can you sing it for me?" Chloe asked softly.

"DUDE, NO! Get out!" Beca yelled.

"Not for that reason." Chloe defended. "I'm not leaving here till you sing, so..."

Beca sighed in exasperation before turning around, hands over her chest. Chloe could see the scar that wrapped around her ribs stop just above her stomach. "I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose."

Chloe happily joined. "Fire away; fire away. Ricochet; take your aim. Fire away; fire away. Shoot me down and I won't fall; I am titanium. Shoot me down, and I won't fall. I am titanium."

They stopped. Chloe had noticed that, as they sang, Beca had let her guard down, lowering her hands with a small smile. Chloe risked a glance. Everything about her was lean and she saw the briefest outline of abs. Beca looked up at the ceiling, uncomfortable again, and snapped Chloe out of her trance.

"Oh, yeah. I'm pretty confident about...all this." she admitted. Beca smiled slightly.

"You should be." she whispered.

"Oh." Chloe said, turning and handing Beca her towel with a smile. The other girl took it gratefully. Calling a swift "See you at auditions" over her shoulder.

"I still need to shower." she said in the smallest voice she'd heard from the girl yet. Chloe nodded and left, going back to her shower with her mind running through images of the girl's face and scars. She wondered how she got them, especially the worst one. She knew from Chiron about the war and the Battle that had happened three years ago and that afterward, one of their best campers fell off the face of the map. No contact, no scent for the monsters to follow- per the camper's request of her father- and hadn't been seen since. Even when the War happened two years ago. Chiron suspected she'd left because of her deep friendship with Beckendorf, who had died in the early stages of the war. Chloe ran through the facts Chiron had given her. Nico Di Angelo was her twin brother, she had been friends with all the camp but guarded about her past, and she hadn't really gotten along well with Clarisse. Making up her mind, she finished her shower, dressed quickly, and headed back to her dorm. Upon arrival, she quickly grabbed a drachma from her and Bree's pile and called Chiron.

"Hello, Chloe. It's nice to see you." he said happily.

"It's nice to see you too, Chiron. I have a question about a half-blood." she told him.

"Which one?" he asked. "You know a lot of them."

"Nico's sister."

"Hazel or Beca?" he asked.

"Beca." Chloe specified. "I know you told me the basics after the War with Gaea, but can I know more?"

"What do you want to know?" he asked quietly. "Some things, I cannot tell you because I do not know them."

"Everything you can." Chloe said, determined to get answers about the mysterious half-blood who had disappeared three years ago.