Gone with the Tide

Chapter 2

"For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first." -
Suzanne Collins
.....

"Miss McLean, I believe you." Was the first thing Chiron said when we settled inside the Big House.

I sighed, a feeling of relief swooping through me. I didn't know who started that rumor, but hopefully it was just a camp wide one, and not one that reached Olympus' ears.

"But" he continued "Some of the gods do not".

I groaned, unable to help myself. Just what I needed. Powerful immortal beings thinking I betrayed them for the enemy we had defeated months ago. I just had to jinx myself, didn't I?

"Which is why I suggest you leave camp. If only for a little bit. We will send Percy with you, since he's going home to see his mother anyway."

I nodded slowly, milling it over in my head. At least not being in camp meant that I wouldn't be ostracized. On the other hand, not being in camp meant that monsters could easily reach me. Trading one bad for another I guess.

"Start packing Miss McLean, for you will leave tomorrow at noon. We have also arranged for Miss Levesque and Mr Pace to accompany you, so you will have several different demigods watching your back. Do not let this discourage you. Now, I do believe dinner is going to begin soon, so you best get back to your cabin before then."

I was still pretty upset that I had to leave, but at least I'd have Percy and Hazel with me. I wasn't the closest with either of them, but they both knew I wasn't a traitor, and that was good enough for me. And "Mr Pace"... well, if he was willing to go with me and watch my back, then he's good in my book.

Chiron explained that I would be attending the same school as Percy, and we would be in a nice apartment, large enough for the three of us. It felt like a bit of a weight lifted to know that not everything was going horribly.

.....
I didn't know who my replacement would be whilst I was away- the school year had started and Drew and Lacey were both at a gifted academy in Brooklyn, so it's likely that Mitchell would get the honor. Normally, Mitchell and I were relatively close. By the look he gave me when I passed him, I can assume that is no longer the case.

After an hour of packing everything I wanted to take with me, I sat on my bed, pondering what had happened over just the past few hours.

Just hours ago I'd been a beloved member of camp. I was not only beloved, I was revered. I was a war hero. Now, I'm just a traitor.

Jut hours ago I was smiling. I had many reasons to smile too. My friends, my family. Everyone who was so welcoming to me.

Just hours ago Jason and I were dating. A part of me felt a pang in my chest at that. He looked so nervous and scared of me. It hurt to think he thought I would ever hurt him or the camp.

I mean, now that I think about it, we were technically still dating. Neither of us had actually said "I'm breaking up with you" or "Let's break up".

But I guess not saving your girlfriend when she's drowning is a pretty efficient way of telling her you want to break up. Really, it was more of an effective way to say "Hey, so you know how you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me? Well, you got your wish, since you're going to die!" In a very morbid way, it was almost funny.

Unsurprisingly, I felt a weight on my chest. Like a little compressed ball of sadness. But I shoved it down for now. There's no time for being sad when you're a demigod. Emotions get in the way when you have to deal with life.

Right now, it was time to go to dinner, and I was just trying to prepare myself for the absolutely frosty reception I was likely to receive from the other campers.
.....
At dinner, people were glaring at me, malice in their eyes. I could understand why. Their family, their friends had been killed by Gaea, and they thought that I had worked with her. But with each glare and whisper, I felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper, like I was back in the lake. Taking a breath, I looked around, desperate for a friendly face.